


Running in Circles: Part 2

by baeksesoolove (silentlylo)



Series: Running in Circles [2]
Category: BLACKPINK (Band), EXO (Band)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, all of the tags are in part 1, and lots of angst, be prepared for messiness, but if for some reason you're skipping that part, so please refer to part 1 to read them all, this story has a lot of trigger warnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:55:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 196,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28756953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentlylo/pseuds/baeksesoolove
Summary: Seasons change and our love went coldFeed the flame 'cause we can't let it goRun away, but we're running in circlesRun away, run away- "Running in Circles," Post MaloneKyungsoo hates everything about being in college and wants to drop out so he can make his acting career happen. Chanyeol is the rising star of his college basketball team with dreams of being drafted into the NBA. When Kyungsoo's best friend Jongin starts dating social media influencer Jennie Kim, Kyungsoo's and Chanyeol's worlds collide in ways that neither of them could ever have expected.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Lee Taeyong, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Chanyeol, Jennie Kim/Kim Jongin | Kai, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Series: Running in Circles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079537
Comments: 51
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Part 2 of Running in Circles! I hope you enjoyed Part 1.
> 
> Please refer to the notes and tags of Part 1 for Part 2 as well since they apply to the entire series.
> 
> Part 3 still needs to be looked at by my beta, so it won't be posted for a while. I'm hoping to start writing Part 4 soon.
> 
> I hope you enjoy escaping into this world again! Thanks for reading 😊

_I dare you to do something  
_ _I'm waiting on you again  
_ _So I don't take the blame_

Chanyeol was having a nice dream where he was lounging by a lake with snow-capped mountains in the distance. Was he in Vail? He hadn’t been there in years. Then he felt a tickle on his side, a soft one, and a hand on his chest.

He blinked his eyes open, amused as he realized that a hand really was on his bare chest, and he yawned and said “Na,” reaching his hand out to run his fingers through her hair.

She giggled, and Chanyeol’s eyes flew open as his heart skipped a beat in panic. Now that he was fully aware of the situation, he tried to play it off in the smoothest way possible.

“NaNaSana,” he said, like a lullaby, like he was simply singing a song.

“NaNaSana?” Sana asked him, curious and with a big smile.

“It’s a song I just thought of for you,” Chanyeol said, and he sang it again, “NaNaSana,” making her giggle and drop a kiss on his chest.

“Does that make me your muse then?” she asked him, expectant.

“For today, yes,” he told her, running his hand down her bare shoulder.

“How do I get to be your muse every day?” She tried to influence his answer by flicking her tongue against his nipple, and he chuckled.

“Who cares about every day, when we have right now,” he stated, swooping his arm around her and turning them so he was on top of her, peppering kisses in all the right places so he could derail her from this train of thought.

It didn’t work.

“I’m serious,” she pouted up at him, trailing her nails over the skin of his abdomen, “We’ve been together all summer.”

“I know, babe,” Chanyeol said, giving her little kisses on her neck then looking at her again, “But you knew Nayeon and I would be back to seeing each other once she was back and the semester started.”

“I was hoping you’d change your mind,” Sana said, rolling her eyes and shoving at him to get off.

Chanyeol sat back on his heels and watched her get up from the bed, finding her panties on the floor to pull back on.

“Who says I won’t?” Chanyeol said. “We haven’t seen each other in months. Maybe we’ll meet up and realize we don’t want to date anymore.”

“Yeah, right,” Sana said, almost completely dressed now as she sat at his desk chair and pulled on her socks. “But it’s stupid because she’s not even going to be around in the spring.”

“Then the spring is all yours,” Chanyeol said, getting up when Sana scoffed and threatened to throw her sock at him.

He chuckled and found his own boxers, pulling them on then leaving his room after her. He headed over to the front door where she was putting her sneakers on.

“Hey,” he said, reaching out to take her hand into his, “don’t be upset. Nayeon and I aren’t officially together or anything. We can still see each other.”

“Yeah, but at some point, you’re going to have to pick,” Sana said, squeezing his hand.

“I will,” Chanyeol told her, and he gave her a soft kiss so that she would know he had meant it. When he pulled away, he then said, “until then, don’t say anything to her, okay? I know you guys are sorority sisters and share secrets and everything, but I don’t want this to get more complicated than it has to be. I want to keep the two things completely separate, so I know that when I make my choice it’s the right one.”

“I’ll keep your dirty little secret,” Sana said, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to give him another kiss, and Chanyeol smirked into it.

“You like being my dirty little secret,” he teased, giving her another kiss as he kept smirking, and she gave a little moan.

“You’re just lucky that I do like it,” she told him and gave him one more kiss before leaving.

Once the door was closed and locked, he checked the time and said, “Shit,” as he hurried straight to the shower. He sped through it then got dressed in record time and did his hair the way that Nayeon liked it best. He took a shot of soju before he left to calm his nerves and texted her to let her know he was headed over.

On his way to her new address, he picked up two iced coffees for them and was grateful that she had chosen to live in the same apartment complex as Baekhyun and Kyungsoo since it’d make seeing her and them easier.

Since it was officially move-in day, the doors to the lobby were wide open to help out, and Chanyeol went in and then through the lobby and out into the courtyard, heading straight to the first-floor apartment that she’d be sharing with some of her sorority sisters. He knocked on the door that was being kept open by a box, and walked in, finding her in the living room talking to her best friend and fellow Sigma, Jeongyeon.

“Do I have the right place?” he joked, and she turned and let out a small yelp, running over to him and putting her arms around his neck as she planted a “hello” kiss right on his lips.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, looking at him and taking him in, and he did the same and smiled, giving her another kiss.

“I’ve missed you too,” he said, and then he handed her the iced coffee he’d picked up for her. “Figured you’d need fuel today.”

“Yes,” she said, taking a big sip, “thank you. I’m already tired.”

“As the person sharing a room with her,” Jeongyeon then said to both of them, “Let’s be clear that there’s a ‘no sex with the boyfriend in our bedroom’ policy.”

“Lucky for you,” Nayeon said, wrinkling her nose playfully at her best friend, “My boyfriend has his own place.”

“Nice to see you too,” Chanyeol said to Jeongyeon, and she rolled her eyes and told him to help them get stuff out of their storage van.

Chanyeol had made the wise decision to move in a few days earlier, also having moved off campus to an apartment across the street instead. However, he had gotten a one-bedroom, having gotten too used to not having a roommate and not feeling like he needed to start having that experience in his junior year.

Once all the boxes had been brought in, Chanyeol drove the storage van for Nayeon back to the storage place while Jeongyeon followed behind in her car.

“So how was Michigan?” he asked her, reaching over to give her knee a squeeze.

“Very Michigan,” Nayeon said. “I’m so happy to be back. Going to the lake to relax just isn’t the same as going to the beach here.”

“I bet,” Chanyeol said. “You didn’t miss too much though. It was in the 100s a lot and there was no point in leaving the house.”

“Ugh, it got hot back home too. Plus with the added bonus of humidity. I hated it so much.”

“Well now you’re back,” he said, giving her a brief smile before looking ahead at the road again.

“I am,” she said, putting her hand over his, “And I missed you so much. Facetiming wasn’t the same.”

“It wasn’t,” he agreed. “I got very lonely,” he said with a pout.

“My poor babe,” Nayeon said with a little chuckle. “I corrupted you and then abandoned you. What a horrible girlfriend I am.”

“You are,” he agreed, “you should make it up to me.”

“Oh, I will,” she said, giving him a smirk.

He couldn’t lie about how excited he was about whatever she probably had planned for him, and he hoped they finished up with all the moving stuff sooner rather than later.

Jeongyeon drove them through a drive-thru on the way back so they could pick up food, and then they sat at the table of the four-person apartment, eating as the two friends attempted to figure out the logistics of where they wanted certain things to be.

Chanyeol texted Baekhyun while they talked asking if he was at his place since he was in the same complex, but Baekhyun didn’t text back right away, so he kept eating while scrolling through his other messages to see who he wanted to bother next.

_Chanyeol: Hey, did mom and dad leave you alone yet? Are you all moved in?_

_Sehun: Mom’s making a list of things she wants to get me from Target now that all my stuff is in._

_Chanyeol: LOL she did the same to me my freshman year._

_Sehun: Dad’s confused about my room neighbors being girls and the bathrooms being co-ed._ _（=´_ _∇_ _｀=_ _）_

_Chanyeol: LMFAO. You didn’t warn him that Oxy was that kind of school?_

_Sehun: I thought he knew! ¯\\_₍_ _⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫_ _⸍̣_ _⸌₎_/¯_

_Chanyeol: Have you met your roommate, yet? What’s he like?_

_Sehun: Yeah, he’s nice. His name’s Johnny, and he’s from Chicago. He’s a Philosophy major with an Art minor. (=^_ _◡ ^=)_

_Chanyeol: Sounds like your type of people. You lucked out. White? Black?_

_Sehun: Korean. LOL_

_Chanyeol: Ha. I bet mom’s thrilled._

_Sehun: She already got his parents’ numbers and emails._

_Chanyeol: Poor Johnny. He doesn’t know what he’s in for._

_Sehun: (=´_ _∇_ _｀=)_

Chanyeol heard other voices coming in through the door and looked up to see Nayeon’s other two roommates, who’d be rooming together in the second bedroom, come in.

“Oh, good, Chanyeol’s here,” Jihyo said, “Can you help us bring a couple of boxes in?”

“Yeah, of course,” Chanyeol said, finishing his burger and washing his hands before heading outside where Jihyo and Momo were discussing how to distribute weight in the boxes.

“Hey,” Momo said to Chanyeol with a smile, and Chanyeol said “hey” back and smiled at her as well, always thinking she was the nicest of Nayeon’s friends. Even though Jeongyeon and Jihyo were also nice to Chanyeol, Jeongyeon always seemed to be silently judging him and Jihyo always seemed to be forgetting why he was around all the time.

“That one’s the heaviest,” Jihyo pointed out to him, and Chanyeol grabbed it and took it into their bedroom, which had the same exact bunkbed setup that Nayeon and Jeongyeon’s room had.

Once the boxes had been brought in, he was then tasked with setting up the TV in the living room after a lively debate among the four girls about where exactly they wanted it.

By the time Baekhyun finally texted him back, Chanyeol was exhausted and ready to get out of there to take a break from Nayeon and her friends, but really mostly her friends.

He headed up to the second floor of the adjacent building and knocked on the door, Baekhyun opening it and pulling him into a big hug as if he hadn’t seen him two days ago.

“Welcome to the Baeksoo Pad.”

“Aw, you have a couple name,” Chanyeol teased him. “How cute.”

“We’re a power couple,” Baekhyun said with a laugh as he closed the door. “Kimye has nothing on us.”

“Is Kyungsoo here?” Chanyeol asked, looking around for any sign of him.

“No, he’s over at Dae’s,” Baekhyun let him know. “He moved all his stuff in yesterday because he wanted to help them out today.”

“Makes sense,” Chanyeol said, pointing to both sides, “Which one’s your room?”

“This one,” Baekhyun said, taking him to his room, which wasn’t set up yet and still had boxes and his large suitcase all around.

Unlike most students who had to share four people to an apartment, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had paid extra to have their own rooms and only the two of them in the apartment. Chanyeol wished he could have done that last year with Baekhyun, but Baekhyun had deferred his enrollment, and it didn’t make sense to switch halfway through the school year. But still, at least one year of having his best friend as his roommate probably would’ve been fun.

“Need help unpacking?” Chanyeol offered, even though he was exhausted from helping the girls move all their stuff.

“Nah,” Baekhyun said, “I got it. I’m sure Nayeon had you helping her move all morning.”

“I’m so tired,” Chanyeol said, laying back on Baekhyun’s bare mattress on his bed and letting out a large sigh.

Baekhyun chuckled at him as he started hanging some of his clothes.

“How is the girlfriend doing?”

“Good,” Chanyeol said, putting his arms behind his head so it could be propped up and he could see Baekhyun better as he talked with him.

“Good,” Baekhyun nodded. “So, I take it you ended things with Sana then?”

“Not… exactly,” Chanyeol said, pursing his lips to the side.

“Yeollie,” Baekhyun said with a clear warning in his tone.

“I know, I know,” Chanyeol said. Really, he did know. “But Sana and I had a lot of fun together, and I’m not sure how things will go with Nayeon since we’ve been apart all these months, so I’m waiting to see how things go with her first. Not to mention that she’s studying abroad in the spring, which means I might as well just hold onto Sana.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun said, “As long as you acknowledge that you’re cheating on Nayeon with Sana and that you’re an asshole for being a cheater.”

“I know,” Chanyeol said again, sighing. “I don’t plan on doing that for much longer. I’m just not sure about things. Like, I’m happy to be her boyfriend,” he explained, “but I’m still confused about being her boyfriend. Or not confused, but more like, I don’t know… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Baekhyun told him with an understanding smile. “But seeing as she is a sorority girl, be prepared to accompany her to a lot of parties and social events this semester.”

“I know,” Chanyeol groaned, “She’s already given me the schedule.”

“Soo and I will run into you, I’m sure,” Baekhyun said.

Chanyeol paused to let that sink in, and then asked, “Is he still planning on rushing then?”

“No, we’re just going for the free booze,” Baekhyun stated. “And the eye candy.”

“Be careful,” Chanyeol told him, “You might end up getting a bid.”

“Now wouldn’t that be funny,” Baekhyun said with a laugh as he finished hanging the last item in the box and pushed the empty box to the side, opening the next box to continue. “How’s Sehunnie doing at Oxy? Have you heard from him yet?”

“Yeah, he seems to be doing fine so far,” Chanyeol told him. “He says his roommate’s nice and he’s on a co-ed floor with co-ed bathrooms.”

“The way it should be,” Baekhyun stated with a chuckle. “That school was made for your brother. He’s going to love it over there.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” Chanyeol nodded. “I’m hoping to visit him on campus at some point. Just to embarrass him.”

“As a big brother should,” Baekhyun agreed. “Emily started school last week and I went with my mom to drop her off so I could tell her in front of her friends to be careful and not talk to strangers.”

Chanyeol laughed out loud then said, “I bet she loved that. What grade is she in now?”

“Second. Which seems impossible,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head, “I swear she was born yesterday.”

“They grow up fast,” Chanyeol said, “Before we know it, Dae’s kid will be in second grade.”

“That’s so scary,” Baekhyun said, eyes wide at the idea. “She’s so tiny. You should go visit him when you get the chance.”

“Yeah, I plan to,” Chanyeol said, knowing that Jongdae was going to need all the emotional support he could get as he started his journey as a dad and student.

As it got later, Nayeon texted him to say she was set up enough to spend quality time with him back at his place, so he left the Baeksoo Pad, a little sad that he hadn’t gotten to see Kyungsoo as well.

He missed Kyungsoo. After that weird day of experimenting, he had barely seen him, only catching him in class and in the one study session that was held for that particular class. They both had gotten really busy, Chanyeol with his budding relationship with Nayeon, and Kyungsoo with… well he wasn’t sure. Kyungsoo had never told him why he couldn’t hang out or do a movie night.

Part of Chanyeol wondered if it was because Kyungsoo was worried he’d want to keep experimenting with him after Kyungsoo had told him he was interested, but he had wanted Kyungsoo to actually understand that he was done with the experimenting thing anyway since he’d started seeing Nayeon. He didn’t get a chance to though, and over the summer, Kyungsoo had been busy shooting his movie and Chanyeol had been busy either vacationing with his family or hanging out with Sana, who had been a pretty good substitute for Nayeon.

But none of that changed that he missed Kyungsoo. He wished they had thought to coordinate another class together, but he guessed he’d just have to come visit Baekhyun more often if he wanted to see him.

He picked up Nayeon from her apartment, and she grabbed her overnight bag and told her friends she’d see them tomorrow. Chanyeol held her hand as they walked the couple of blocks to his apartment, and once they were inside of it, Nayeon wasted no time in showing Chanyeol just how much she had really missed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Putting together a baby bassinet had been a breeze compared to putting together this changing table, which Kyungsoo was pretty sure they had screwed up royally and were going to need to take apart and rebuild in order to fix.

“Do you really need the shelves at the bottom here?” Kyungsoo joked.

“I personally don’t,” Jongdae said, trying to unscrew the last screw that hadn’t quite lined up with the right hole. “But I’m assuming Wendy put this particular table on the registry because she wanted the shelves.”

“Wait,” Kyungsoo said, looking at the instructions again, “Are these shelves supposed to be able to slide out and in?”

“Uh…” Jongdae said, looking at what they’d constructed and over at the remaining parts and then back, “Frickin…”

Kyungsoo chuckled and leaned over to grab the metal slide bars that were smaller than the other metal slide bars next to them.

“I think these are for the shelves and those bigger ones are for the drawers,” Kyungsoo pointed out, now that he assessed the situation better.

“I thought they were all for the drawers,” Jongdae whined.

“Same,” Kyungsoo said, lining them up in the shelf space area to see how they would need to be placed.

“It sounds like you guys are making great progress,” Jongdae’s mother teased, coming over to investigate. “I ordered pizza so you guys can take a break in a bit. Anything I can do to help?”

“Thanks, mom,” Jongdae said, “And, no, I think we’re just going to need to take this apart because the holes aren’t lining up.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo agreed, having feared the same.

“Okay, let me know,” she said, “Hannah loves her bassinet so much. She still hasn’t woken up from when Wendy put her in it. I’m going to go take more pictures.”

Kyungsoo laughed, watching Jongdae’s mother disappear into Wendy’s room where the bassinet had been set up.

“I, too, wish I could pass out in a bassinet,” Jongdae stated as he took the side off and put it back on the floor.

Kyungsoo knew Jongdae was tired. Since the moment that Hannah had come into his life two weeks ago, Jongdae had already managed to wear himself out running around doing things more than he was used to and completely losing out on sleep that he’d never get back. Kyungsoo didn’t envy him, but he had to admit that Hannah was a super cute baby, and it was kind of neat to have her around in the world with them.

“Take a break,” Kyungsoo told him, grabbing the screwdriver out of Jongdae’s hand. “You might as well get some sleep while she’s sleeping too since it’s quiet right now.”

Jongdae sighed and nodded, getting up and going to his room and closing the door to maximize the silence.

Kyungsoo continued to take the changing table apart, listening to the women in Wendy’s room speaking softly to not wake the baby. Wendy’s mother was helping to put away things in her closet while Wendy tried to organize the baby’s clothes into the dresser that had thankfully been part of the furnishings that came with the apartment and not another thing that he and Jongdae had to put together.

It was an interesting setup. They had a two-bedroom apartment, with Wendy taking the one that led out straight to the living room since it had its own bathroom. Jongdae had taken the room where he had a little hall that connected it to the other bathroom and his closet. Wendy’s mother would be staying on the couch in the living room, even though Jongdae had insisted that she could use his room for the 3-days a week she’d be staying. But Wendy’s mother had said it made more sense for her to be on the couch and closer to Wendy’s room just in case.

And though Jongdae and Wendy had now technically been married for four months, today marked the first day they’d actually be living together, albeit in their separate rooms. Nothing about the situation was ideal, but true to Jongdae’s word, they were making it work.

Hannah graciously waited to wake up and start crying just as the pizza arrived, so Jongdae had managed to get a much-needed 15-minute nap in before sitting at the small round table with Kyungsoo to eat, but even as he did so, Jongdae was scooping salad onto a plate for Wendy, getting it ready for her so that she could dig right in once she was done breastfeeding Hannah.

“It sucks that I can’t help with feeding yet,” Jongdae said to Kyungsoo. “I feel bad because I want to give her a break from having to do it.”

“Soon,” Jongdae’s mom said, putting some salad and a slice of pizza on a plate to take to Wendy’s mom who was on the couch with Wendy. “Do you want to start trying to pump today?” she then asked Wendy as she walked over.

“It’s been two weeks so you can do it now,” Wendy’s mother agreed, “After you eat though.”

Wendy nodded and said she’d try, but kept her focus on her daughter, watching her as she ate.

“I’ll get the equipment and get it set up,” Jongdae’s mother said, going into Wendy’s room to find wherever it was among all the things that still needed to be unboxed and unpacked.

Once Kyungsoo and Jongdae finished eating, they tackled the changing table again, this time getting the parts in the right places at least, and they finished it in better time than they thought they would thanks to the renewed energy they got from their lunch break.

“There, it’s perfect,” Jongdae said, standing with his hands on his hips and a proud smile.

“Do we need to move it to Wendy’s room?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“Nah, we’re going to leave it out here where there’s more room. Let’s push it up against that wall by her door though.”

They moved the table and then collected all the packing materials and boxes that needed to be thrown away, including the empty pizza boxes, taking it all out to the dumpster. When they got back, they washed their hands and Jongdae headed over to where Wendy’s mother was holding the baby while Wendy took a small nap.

“Can I hold her for a little bit?” Jongdae asked, and Wendy’s mother smiled and waited for Jongdae to sit on the couch before handing her over.

“Sit here,” she then said to Kyungsoo as she got up, “I’m going to go back to unpacking thing.”

Kyungsoo sat next to Jongdae, loving the big smile on Jongdae’s face as he looked down at his daughter who had opened her eyes momentarily at being moved from one set of arms to another but then closed them again, looking as if she was about to go into a very peaceful sleep.

“I just can’t get over how small she is,” Kyungsoo remarked. “I mean, yeah, you and Wendy are small people, but wow this kid is small.”

“How dare you?” Jongdae said, “We are normal-height people. Everyone taller than us are genetic anomalies.”

Kyungsoo snickered and told him that he had a point, and then Jongdae’s mother came out from his room, holding a large sketchbook and sitting in the rocking chair that luckily had come already assembled.

Jongdae looked at her a little surprised that she had it.

“I was trying to unpack some of your things in your room,” she told him, “and I started looking through some of your sketchbooks.”

“Oh,” he said, and it was clear that he said it because he didn’t know what else to say.

“I knew you were talented, but…” she said as she opened the sketchbook to the very first page and turned it around.

Kyungsoo was surprised to see a beautiful sketch of Hannah, and then he smiled, thinking it was adorable that Jongdae had wasted no time in drawing her.

“I cried when I saw this a moment ago,” his mother explained, and then she turned the page to show a watercolor painting version of the same drawing. “I just… you have such a gift. These are so beautiful.”

“I started that one just for her,” Jongdae said, smiling proudly. “It’s only going to be art of her, through the years, and when she turns 18, that’s going to be my present to her.”

His mother’s eyes watered, and Kyungsoo too felt a little emotional by the sentiment.

“How does she have you wrapped around her finger like that already?” Kyungsoo teased him, and Jongdae chuckled.

“Have you shown Wendy yet?” his mother then asked him.

“Uh, no, not yet,” he said, pursing his lips a little. “Maybe when things are better between us and we can have normal conversations about random things.”

His mother nodded in understanding, then said, “I’ll do my best to get your father to back off about following in his footsteps. I can’t promise that…”

“Thank you,” Jongdae said before she could even finish the sentiment. “Even trying helps.”

She nodded and looked down at the painting again, and then back at him, and said, “It’s clear that this is your true calling.” She smiled at him and got up to head back to his room.

“Um, mom, you probably don’t want to look through…”

“I already saw them,” she told him, and then laughed when he shut his eyes in embarrassment. “Art is meant to be provocative. They were beautiful studies of the human form.”

“Just… stop,” Jongdae said, squeezing his eyes even tighter together, and his mother laughed at him and disappeared into his room.

“Jongdae Kim,” Kyungsoo said, looking at him surprised, “Do you have naked drawings of Lisa in your sketchbook? I am clutching my pearls.” And he pretended to clutch his non-existent pearls for the dramatic effect.

“Shush,” Jongdae said. “And don’t even think of trying to go look at them. They’re private.”

“Not that private if your mom’s seen them,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“I hate everything,” Jongdae said, contorting his face to look as if he was about to cry, but then he made a different face instead and looked down. “Oh, man, Hannah. Honestly, my kid has the worst smelling poop in the world.”

Kyungsoo caught the whiff just as Jongdae said it, and he recoiled, “Oh my God. That’s toxic.”

“I know. I need a gas mask. I guess it’s time to try out this changing table. Can you grab a diaper?”

“Yep,” Kyungsoo said, getting up to pull one out of the big bag of diapers sitting by the kitchen. He brought the whole bag over, thinking that they probably should keep it in the changing table now that it existed.

“Okay, so far so good,” Jongdae said. “Baby’s on the table and it did not collapse.”

“We might have a future in furniture building yet,” Kyungsoo played along, grinning as he handed Jongdae the diaper.

“Please don’t jinx it while my daughter is still on the table,” Jongdae teased, wiping her down like a pro.

Kyungsoo watched him, and he noticed Wendy’s mom watching as well with a smile on her face as she folded a small blanket in the doorway of Wendy’s room.

“You’ve got this down, dad,” Kyungsoo told him, really impressed.

“This kid poops a lot,” Jongdae said, “I had to get it down quick.

He did change the diaper pretty fast, finishing and telling Hannah that she’s all clean now and calling her a stinky butt in the process, which made Kyungsoo have a moment where he couldn’t believe this was real. He would’ve made fun of Jongdae for the baby talk if he wasn’t just so damn proud of him.

Jongdae picked her back up then tossed the dirty diaper in the trash in the kitchen.

“Do you want to put her back in the bassinet so you can unpack a bit?” Wendy’s mom asked him.

“Yeah, I think she’s really passed out now that she’s all cleaned up,” Jongdae said, and Wendy’s mom chuckled.

Kyungsoo waited for Jongdae to come back out of Wendy’s room, and then he went to his room with him and helped him and his mom with some unpacking and organizing before letting them know that he had to leave.

“Who knows what Baek’s done to the place by now,” Kyungsoo joked, as he headed to the door.

“Probably turned it into a _noraebang_ and is charging admission at the door,” Jongdae offered as he saw him out, “Make sure he gives you the VIP discount.”

“Right?” Kyungsoo said, and he gave Jongdae a hug and told him that he’d be by tomorrow to pick him up so they could walk across to campus and get their books for the semester at the bookstore.

He got back to his own apartment and found Baekhyun in the living room setting up his Xbox.

“Hey,” Baekhyun said, “How was Dae’s?”

“Surreal,” Kyungsoo said, sitting on the couch and relaxing against the arm of the couch as he lifted his knees toward his chest, “I just can’t get over how much of a real dad he is. He changes diapers in record time.”

“He’s a natural,” Baekhyun said, “But also, changing diapers is easy at this age. Wait until Hannah starts to be more active and wriggle around when he’s trying to change them. I still have nightmares about changing Emily’s diapers. I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll state it again. I’m never having kids.”

“Same, probably,” Kyungsoo said, laughing at him. “Are you all moved in?”

“As in, is all my shit in this apartment? Yes. Is everything where it needs to be? Maybe like thirty percent.”

“Yeah, I still have boxes to unpack from yesterday. I don’t understand why I have so much stuff,” Kyungsoo said, literally thinking about how he didn’t even use much of anything outside of his laptop and clothes.

“I don’t either,” Baekhyun agreed, pushing the TV stand back against the wall, “I’m just happy you got all the kitchen stuff after you and Dae’s divorce. I realized I needed a spoon for my ice cream, and I opened the drawer and there was one. I’m indebted to you for life.”

“You’re an idiot,” Kyungsoo said. “Anyway, I’m picking him up tomorrow to get our books if you want to come with.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Baekhyun nodded, powering up his Xbox to make sure it worked. “The only thing I had scheduled for tomorrow was dinner with stepdad number one.”

“Stepdad number one?” Kyungsoo asked, looking at his phone to see if he had any missed messages. “That’s cute that you still talk to him.”

“I generally don’t, but he likes to check up on me from time to time and see how I’m doing,” Baekhyun explained. “Usually when a new school year starts, he likes to take me to dinner and ask if I need anything. It’s nice of him.”

“That is nice of him,” Kyungsoo agreed, glad that Baekhyun still had a good relationship with the man who had helped his mom raise him.

Kyungsoo didn’t have any missed messages, which he knew anyway because he hadn’t felt his phone vibrate at any point, but he really had just wanted to read over one message in particular anyway.

_Yixing: Let me know when we can meet up. I really want to see you. And talk._

It had been sent a few days ago when Yixing had made it back to LA and settled in enough to reach out to him again. Kyungsoo knew he probably shouldn’t have replied to the first message that had initiated all this in the first place, but he had, too curious to not ask him why he was moving back.

Now they texted each other in this bizarre, distant way, where Yixing would give him updates on his move back, and Kyungsoo would reply with a simple, “Cool” or “Good luck” and not give him anything else. To be fair, Yixing didn’t say much either. It’s not like he replied with the answers that Kyungsoo wanted or bothered to offer up more information. His messages were just as stilted as Kyungsoo’s, as if maybe he was trying to figure out why he was texting Kyungsoo just as much as Kyungsoo was trying to figure out why he was being texted in the first place.

But Kyungsoo hadn’t replied to this last one yet because he was scared to. This one was the definitive “I’m here. Let’s meet up.” text, and Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if he was ready to see him or have any conversation with him.

As he stared at the message, another one popped up.

_Taeyong: Are you moved in? Do I get to see your new place?_

“So what’s our bringing people over to stay the night policy?” Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun, who had started up one of his games to play and now sat on the couch with him selecting his gear.

“Sex in the bedrooms only, no sex in front of your roommate who would be scarred for life, always wear a condom, no knocking anyone up,” Baekhyun said as he seemed to debate between a mid-sized gun and a really big gun.

Kyungsoo chuckled and told him that Taeyong wanted to come over as he texted him back.

_Kyungsoo: Partially moved in, but you can come over._

_Taeyong: Do you need me to bring anything?_

_Kyungsoo: Just you._

“How are things going with Taeyong lately?” Baekhyun asked, then followed it with a curse at having a grenade go off in front of his player.

“Really well,” Kyungsoo said with a smile.

“Really well to the point you won’t be trying to find a husband during rush?”

Kyungsoo chuckled and then shrugged, having forgotten that finding a husband was the reason he was going to bother with checking out frats in the first place.

“Yeah, I guess we can skip it if you want. Although, I should go to one event just so I can tell my dad that I tried, and it wasn’t for me.”

“Yeah, plus free food,” Baekhyun pointed out. “They’re doing a barbecue tomorrow. We should stop by after book shopping.”

“I’m always down for barbecue,” Kyungsoo said, getting up from the couch. “I’m going to take a quick shower before Taeyong gets here.”

Kyungsoo took his time in the shower, needing the hot water to help relax his muscles that had tightened up after all the hard work he had put in that day building furniture and unpacking things. Once he was done, he threw on some shorts and a T-shirt, then checked his phone to see if Taeyong was almost there. He brushed his hair and threw on a little bit of cologne, just enough to hint at things that maybe could happen that night.

Taeyong and Kyungsoo had finally hooked up on their third date, but then finals came, and then Kyungsoo’s movie, and then, just as Kyungsoo’s filming wrapped, Taeyong had booked his first dancing gig that took him away for a few days. When he got back, they reconnected, but it was hard to keep reconnecting since Kyungsoo was living back with his parents in Irvine, too far from North Hollywood for it to make sense for them to see each other outside of planned dates on the weekend.

So they had hooked up maybe five times total, but now that Kyungsoo was back at ‘SC and had his own room, they could probably make it more of a regular thing, which Kyungsoo wanted to be the case.

He got the call from Taeyong that he was downstairs outside the lobby, and Kyungsoo slipped on his sneakers and went to get him.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, smiling when he let Taeyong into the lobby and noticed the Taco Bell bag in his hand. “You didn’t have to bring anything.”

“I just got out of class, so I was starving,” he said and gave Kyungsoo a quick kiss on the lips in greeting, which made Kyungsoo smile more.

“Makes sense. How was class?” Kyungsoo asked him as he led him through the courtyard and over to their building.

“Long, and it kicked my ass,” Taeyong replied.

“Aw, I’ll give you a massage after you eat,” Kyungsoo told him with a smirk, and Taeyong chuckled.

When they entered the apartment, Baekhyun yelled out a “hey” to Taeyong and then cursed at the screen again.

“Hey,” Taeyong said, laughing and setting the bag down on their table.

Based on the size of the bag, Kyungsoo grabbed some paper plates, knowing that Taeyong had been generous and brought some for them as well. Unless he really did intend to eat that many tacos and burritos on his own.

“I brought extra,” Taeyong confirmed, pulling out all kinds of items. “Just in case you guys hadn’t eaten yet.”

“We haven’t,” Baekhyun said, “And you are a saint.”

“I figured,” Taeyong said, poking Kyungsoo on the side, “Lying to me about not needing anything brought.”

“I honestly hadn’t even thought about dinner,” Kyungsoo defended, “I was still full off the pizza I had at Dae’s earlier.”

Baekhyun paused his game to join them at the table, helping himself to the many food items scattered about. And as they hung out and ate and talked about anything and everything, Kyungsoo had a little soft place in his heart that tugged a bit, knowing that Jongdae should have been there with them contributing his animated stories and loud laughs.

But this was his new normal, and he enjoyed it fully before they threw away all their trash, and Baekhyun went back to his video game while Kyungsoo went back to his room with Taeyong.

“Love the décor,” Taeyong commented, looking around with a smile.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo said, clearing off his backpack and some notebooks from his bed. “It’s a work in progress. I mean, if you want to help me finish unpacking and putting things away instead of doing other things, we can. Totally up to you,” he teased.

Taeyong went straight for him, pulling him into him by the waist and giving him a lingering kiss that Kyungsoo felt a little starved for.

“You’re funny,” Taeyong said. “Play first, unpack in the morning.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kyungsoo said, attacking his lips, needing more and wanting to be touched and to touch.

“You smell so good,” Taeyong told him when they shifted their angles.

“You smell like bean burritos,” Kyungsoo told him back, and Taeyong gave a little bite to his earlobe for the comment, which made Kyungsoo both yelp and moan simultaneously.

Kyungsoo pulled Taeyong onto his bed with him, and it took barely any time for their clothes to be off and for their making out to intensify to the point that they both needed to desperately take care of things.

They fell into a good rhythm, giving each other hand jobs, not having the patience to go further than that as they continued to kiss, hungrily and with desire. And it felt just as good as each time they had done this, Kyungsoo bucking his hips into Taeyong’s grasp, feeling the energy build up and build up until it could no longer be contained.

After, when they laid in each other’s arms, all wiped up from their messiness and drifting to sleep, Kyungsoo had the thought that things could stay like this. Taeyong did make him happy, and he was thoughtful and treated him right. More importantly, he acknowledged that he liked Kyungsoo too, and he did a great job of making him feel good, both emotionally and physically.

Which is why, at that moment, Kyungsoo resolved to not bother replying to Yixing at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Jongin had nailed his part of the fish lift for this choreography every single time. Then again, he did have the easier part, since he just had to carry the person. Unfortunately, the girl in his arms couldn’t get her form right, no matter how many times the choreographer helped her through it.

“Cut!” the director announced again, and Jongin put her back down, his arms feeling like jelly after the hours they had put into this.

“I don’t know what I’m getting wrong,” the singer said, and Jongin wanted to tell her that maybe the fact that she was a singer with no formal dance training was part of the problem. He appreciated the job, but maybe she should have stuck to something simpler for her first video.

“You’re doing great,” the choreographer told her like he had told her each time. “You just need to relax into it. You’re too stiff. He’s not going to drop you.”

When his agent had told him that he had been requested by Summer Kyle for her debut music video, Jongin had asked, “Who?” Jonghee had then explained to him that she was a new artist that Capitol Records was getting ready to debut and they were hoping that she’d be the next big princess of pop. To which Jongin had replied, “And?”

While he had been flattered that he had been requested personally by this girl, he hadn’t been sure that this was something he needed to do since bigger offers were being thrown at him. But Jonghee had insisted that this was the right move, and since he always listened to her, here he was, wishing they’d just change the choreography already so that his arms could be saved.

“Okay, I think I can do this now,” Summer said to herself, and Jongin watched her mentally try to get back into the mood of the song.

He didn’t want to overstep his bounds with the choreographer, but since nothing else was working, he decided to add his own insight.

“Hey,” he said to Summer, who turned to look at him with bright purple eyes, which were contacts for effect for this particular shot. “When doing lifts, or doing any partner choreo really, it’s important that the partners communicate. In dancing, we communicate with our bodies, so you have to listen to my body, and I have to listen to yours to make this work. Each time I lift you, what I hear your body saying is that you’re scared and unsure. But you have to trust your music and your body and me. So instead of thinking about it, just listen to my body, and your body will know what to do. Okay? Want to try it?”

Summer looked at him for a moment, as if slowly processing that he was telling her something, and then nodded.

He got in position and waited for her to do the same, then counted off and lifted her, then put her back down.

“You didn’t listen to my body. You’re fighting against it. Try again,” he said, getting back into position, then lifting her up, this time a bit better as she didn’t fight him as much.

“Okay, better,” he said with a smile, and she smiled back at him. “When I lift you, remember that you’re the star. This is your moment, so you’re going to keep your chest high, like you’re proud when I lift you. Stay above me with your chest. Then go into your stretch with as much grace as you can. Yeah?”

She nodded at him and turned around, eager now to get it right, and they went through it again, thankfully much better as she seemed to really listen to him. He went for the turn, but she fought again when it came time for her to kick out.

“Okay,” he said putting her back down. “When you do that kick, you’re not actually kicking. It’s more a movement in response to what I’m doing. So…” Jongin tried to think of the best way to explain it, then said, “Okay, I’m the base, right? And you’re the flyer. So, I’m the action, and you, as the flyer are the reaction to my action. So again, listen to my body, so your body knows how to react. Make sense?”

“Yeah,” Summer said, nodding and getting back into position.

They practiced it a few more times, and by the time they did the take, she managed to get it mostly right. They did several more takes, each time with her relaxing even more and taking the liberties to add her own artistry into it, and they finally got the perfect, or as perfect as could be for what they were working with, shot.

“Amazing, that was amazing,” her A&R rep said, and Summer hugged him, then turned around and hugged Jongin.

“Thank you,” she told him. “This is why I wanted to work with you. You’re amazing.”

“No, you are,” Jongin lied, with a really big smile so she’d believe him.

He was grateful that he finally got to rest his arms and was even more grateful that the choreo portion was over. The rest of what was left were simple shots of them looking at each other in artsy ways, in a classroom, in the library, but close together on a bed.

Part of why Jonghee had thought this was a great opportunity for him was that it would be his first time not just being a dancer in a music video, but a model as well.

“It’s why she requested you,” Jonghee had explained when he had needed her to talk him into agreeing to it. “She saw one of your magazine shoots and had her people find out who represented you. The camera loves you, so this is the next big step.”

“Being a video ho?” Jongin had asked her, joking, kinda.

“Being a video model,” Jonghee had corrected him. “And lead.”

Jongin was actually the most nervous about this part, and as the stylist re-adjusted his look for the classroom scene, he hoped that he didn’t bomb this, though something told him he might end up a bit better at it than Summer Kyle herself.

But he was wrong. Where she struggled in choreography, she brightly shined at acting for the camera. As they stared at each other across the table, Jongin, who had asked Kyungsoo for acting tips, did his best to use them and envisioned that he was staring at Jennie instead.

Summer’s hair was dark brown with auburn highlights throughout, and it was easy to imagine Jennie trying out a similar hairstyle at some point. It was curled and fell around her shoulders, which Jennie could also pull off when she wanted. With the contacts out, Summer’s eyes were a soft shade of brown, but he could make believe they were dark brown instead.

He used the same trick for their library scene, far apart at the same long table, but wishing he could be closer. And then he changed into jeans and a white sleeveless undershirt for the bed scenes, his hair styled loose so strands of his hair could fall into his face.

Summer wore short white denim shorts and a barely-there pale blue tank top, and Jongin felt a little nervous getting onto the bed with her because not only was she obviously a very beautiful girl, but she was 17, and this felt all kinds of wrong to him even though he too was technically still a teenager.

But here he was, in bed with her, playing her high school boyfriend, and grateful that the video didn’t call for a kiss of any kind.

The direction was to talk to each other playfully, making her laugh, and then staring into each other’s eyes.

“Now you’re the one that looks nervous,” Summer commented when they had to pause for the cameras to be adjusted.

“I’m very nervous,” he told her with a chuckle, on his side with his head propped up by his hand as he looked at her.

“It’s okay,” she said, looking at him with a sweet smile, “I am too.”

“This is really provocative for your first video,” he then said, because he was nervous and didn’t know what to say.

“It’s my idea,” she said quickly, like she didn’t want him to get the wrong impression. “I’m lucky that they’re letting me have input into the creative vision. I co-wrote the song as well. It’s about my first boyfriend. I wanted the video to recreate our relationship, and I didn’t want to sugarcoat it. Kids my age are doing these things, I wanted them to relate and understand that I understood what they were going through.”

Jongin smiled, a little impressed, and said, “That’s really cool. And it’s true, I was doing these same things with my girlfriend in high school. Except for the dance lifts. She wasn’t a dancer.”

Summer laughed, “I’m not either, but I’m working on it. I want to get really good at it before I do my first tour.”

“You’ll get there,” Jongin assured her, “Just remember to listen to your body.”

“Got it,” she said, with a thumbs up. “Actually, you’re a better choreographer than that guy they’re paying. At least, I learned better from you than I did him.”

“He’s really good,” Jongin said, having known of him. “He’s just not as good at dealing with non-professional dancers. I have a niece and nephew that I’m always trying to teach things to, so I’ve learned to explain dance moves and concepts in a way they can understand. Well, kind of. They’re really young.”

“That’s so cute,” she cooed. “Well, then it sounds like you’re the choreographer I really need. What if I hired you instead? Obviously not for this song, but for my other songs for my showcase?”

“Um…” Jongin said, never having dealt with an offer for choreography before. “I mean, I don’t know if… I’ve never done professional choreography.”

“I’ve never made an MV until today,” Summer pointed out, and Jongin looked surprised by her astuteness.

“Good point,” he said and chuckled. “I mean, I guess I could give it a shot. If your people are cool with it. I’d have to talk to my managers about it.”

“Of course,” she said with a big smile.

The director announced that the cameras were in place, and then directed them to act flirtier, which was easier now that Jongin had context for the video. It was easy to remember back to the days when he and Krystal would mess around on his or her bed, sometimes just talking, other times doing more, and trying to do it all in a small amount of time before parents got home.

They were able to get the shots needed in a short amount of time, thankfully making up for the time they had wasted trying to get the lift right. He left the soundstage after giving Summer’s A&R guy Jonghee’s number, and he felt pretty good about the overall shoot as he headed to his car, finally able to go home and crash from the long day.

***

When Jongin woke up in the morning, he was starving and headed to the kitchen to see if there was anything quick that he could throw together. He decided to scramble some eggs and debated if he wanted toast as well.

Lisa emerged after a few moments, rubbing her eyes and stating, “I smell eggs.”

Jongin chuckled and didn’t bother asking if she wanted any, opening the fridge to grab the carton so he could make her some.

“What time did you get home last night?” she asked him, pulling out an apple juice bottle she had from the fridge.

“Like 3 a.m.,” he said, “This girl couldn’t relax during a fish lift to save her life.”

“Which one is this?” she asked, opening the bottle to take a long sip.

“The new up and coming pop star from Capitol.”

“Oh, right,” Lisa nodded. “What was she like?”

“Nice actually,” he told her, handing her the plate of eggs he had already made for himself so she could start eating it while he made more. “She wants to hire me as her choreographer for her showcase.”

“Seriously?” Lisa said, looking at him as she ate her eggs.

“Yeah, I told her to have her people call my people, but I don’t know. I’ve never choreographed professionally before.”

“Oh, please,” Lisa said, rolling her eyes, “You know you’d be good at it. You have great ideas, and you’re super patient.”

“We’ll see,” he shrugged, putting his eggs on the pieces of toast that were ready, and then taking a bite.

“You headed to the studio today?” she asked, leaning with her hip against the counter as she finished eating.

“Taking the day off,” he confirmed. “My body needs a rest from the last two days of filming this thing, and I want to visit Jennie and see if she’s all settled into her new place.”

“Jisoo was over there helping her move in yesterday,” Lisa said, rinsing her plate and fork and putting both in the dishwasher as she spoke, “She says the place is cute. She shares the apartment with two of her sorority friends, but she has her own room and bathroom.”

Jongin chuckled, thinking about their conversation regarding her choice to finally live off-campus but not alone. He loved the idea of going to her place and not having to run into other people, but Jennie had been insistent on living with two of her sorority sisters, saying she didn’t want to feel too disconnected from college by living off-campus.

“As long as she has her own room, that’s all that matters,” Jongin stated.

“Men,” Lisa said, taking his empty plate from his hand to rinse it. “Always only think about one thing.”

Jongin chuckled and thanked her for cleaning his plate, then headed to his room to shower, get dressed, then head up to Burbank.

Once he arrived at Jennie’s apartment, she greeted him outside with a hug and kiss, then excitedly took his hand to lead him in. Her apartment was on the third floor of the three-story building, and it was a rather spacious apartment, with a nice-size kitchen and living area, and a balcony with a nice view of the idyllic Burbank neighborhood it was situated in.

She took him to say “hi” to her two roommates, Lucia and McKayla, who were in the room they shared, talking while organizing things. He said hello to them with a wave, having met them before, and they both gave him a smile and said it was nice to see him again. Jongin did like Jennie’s sorority sisters, which he hadn’t expected, but then he realized that at such a small school like hers, sorority life was a bit more inclusive and less stereotypical than those at larger universities.

He’d overheard Jennie and Jisoo talking before about their respective sororities and comparing the two, and Jisoo had told Jennie once that she wasn’t sure why she was wasting her time with the ones at Woodbury, but Jennie had laughed it off and said with a joking tone, “You know I’m bad at making friends. At least in a sorority, I’ll have a better chance of making some.” Jisoo, just like Jongin who had overheard this, knew that despite the joking tone, Jennie meant it and was worried about it, so Jisoo had backed off and said that it was actually a prestigious national sorority and even if the Woodbury chapter was small, she’d have a great nationwide network.

And while Jennie joined so that she could make instant friends, both of the only two sororities at Woodbury had done everything in their power to convince Jennie that they were the right fit for her. In the end, Jennie had picked the one with the most campus involvement and charity work, which also happened to be the one with the reputation for being full of the wealthy, popular, and most fun girls on campus. So, Jongin supposed, she had ended up right where she belonged.

She led him to her room, which was also spacious, with a lightly stained hardwood floor and a great amount of light coming in from the window. It also had a twin bed, which made Jongin laugh, both because of its small size and because it was on a black metal frame and nothing else.

“Babe, we’re going to break that,” he said while cracking up.

“Stop,” she said, laughing as she swiped at his arm. “I’m having a real bed delivered this week, and then we’re going to move this bed into the other room and McKayla’s going to put it next to hers so that it’s like a queen-sized bed.”

“Smart,” he nodded, sitting on the bed and bouncing on it a little to see if it was safe for him to do so.

“Once the bed is delivered,” Jennie said, crouching by a box on the floor that was open and appeared to have items for the bathroom in it, “Mommy’s going to come up here with her interior decorator so that they can make sure the room is perfect.”

Jongin frowned and said, “But your room was perfect last year, and you decorated that by yourself.”

“Yeah, but that room wasn’t as nice,” she explained, creating a small stack of washcloths and towels, “Since this one is nicer, we can make it really great.” She then looked over at him, as she grabbed the towels and stood up. “Don’t worry, it’ll still have my personality. I get to decide what I like and make it ‘me’ still.”

“Good,” he said, and then added, “Because I don’t think I’d be able to get it up if I thought I was having sex in a Pottery Barn.”

Jennie let out a big laugh and threw one of the washcloths at him, then disappeared to put her items away in the bathroom. Jongin got up from the bed to take in the view from her bedroom window, and then he looked at the boxes that she still had to unpack, and sat next to one, opening it up.

“So how did your video shoot go?” Jennie asked as she came back in and crouched back down by the next box. “You haven’t told me anything about it.”

He told her all about it, from how nice Summer Kyle had been to how terrible of a dancer she was. He mentioned the scenes where he just had to model, and then he let her know that Summer Kyle wanted him to choreograph for her. The more he spoke, the more Jennie’s eyes brightened, and when he was done, she clasped her hands together and gave a cute little face, as if she was more pleased than he was.

“I can’t wait to see it,” she pronounced. “I love it already. I bet you look so hot in every single one of those scenes.”

“I hope so,” Jongin said. “I just hope I look natural and not awkward and scared.”

“You will. I know you will,” Jennie said.

“You and Jisoo made a lot of progress yesterday,” he pointed out, realizing that the remaining boxes just had books, portfolios, and art supplies.

“We did. She helped me organize my entire closet and most of the bathroom. All that’s left really are my shelves and desk.”

“That worked out for you that she starts school so much later,” Jongin said, having been surprised to learn that UCLA wouldn’t be starting classes for another month.

“I know,” Jennie said, scooting closer to him to pull out the things from the box nearest him. “I told her to just live with me until school starts, but she said she’s trying to enjoy life away from school while she still can.”

“Makes sense,” he nodded, and then pointed toward the box, “Is all this going on that shelf?”

“I don’t know,” she said, pursing her lips to the side in thought as she looked at it. “I think I’m going to need to order a bigger shelf. The room is big enough for it. All this isn’t going to fit, so I’m not sure what I want in that one yet.”

“Maybe just your textbooks since it’s small, and then your portfolios and art things can go in the bigger one.”

She smiled and nodded, “Yeah, that sounds like the best strategy. Let’s just stack these against the wall for now so we can at least recycle these boxes.”

He helped her do just that, enjoying perusing through some of her latest designs as he did so, and commenting on his favorites, including a super cute shirt and short set that definitely had been inspired by Rain.

Even though Jennie had gone on many vacations over the summer, with her friends, and with her family, she had spent her days back in town mostly over at Jongin’s, hanging out with his family and him, and getting to know them even better. By the same token, Jongin had felt the need to reciprocate and had gone golfing more with her father, and to more brunches with her and her mother. And while he kept trying to shift his thoughts on her parents to better accept them for who they were, he still found it hard to do so whenever they made comments to Jennie that made her become this robotic perfect daughter as if she didn’t have her own opinions and feelings on their decisions for her.

He was glad she was back in school and away from them, and she was glad that he had finally moved out of his parents’ house and gotten a place closer to her. It had worked out well for them both.

After they finished organizing and putting the boxes in the recycle bin in the lobby, they got into Jongin’s car, and he drove them to have lunch in WeHo at the bar and restaurant that Rosé worked at on Santa Monica Boulevard. They hadn’t had a chance to stop by and visit her as much as they had promised, but now that they’d be in LA more than the OC, he imagined they’d get to see her often. If she even kept this job or wasn’t killed by her parents anytime soon.

The bar was a small and cozy one that was usually packed at night with locals and people getting food and drinks before hitting up the clubs. They checked in with the hostess and were seated in the patio outside, thankfully the weather being nice enough for it instead of as hot as it had been for the past several weeks.

Rosé ran over to them when she spotted them and leaned down to give Jennie a huge hug that didn’t require her to get up from her chair.

“I’m so happy you guys are hanging out with me today,” Rosé said, giving Jongin a huge hug as well that made him chuckle and pat her back. “Do you want the sangria? Our sangria is the best, I’ll bring you guys a pitcher.”

“Don’t get fired because of us,” Jongin warned her.

“Like I give a shit if I get fired,” Rosé waved off, and she disappeared to go get the pitcher.

“Welp,” Jongin said, picking up his menu, “It’s nice to see that employment hasn’t changed her.”

“Nothing will ever change her,” Jennie said, like a very proud big sister, “Rosé is Rosé.”

“That’s for sure,” Jongin agreed as he looked over the menu, and then he asked Jennie, “Do you just want to get this sampler. It has everything in it.”

“Sounds perfect,” Jennie said, putting down her menu, and retying her ponytail, which had come just the tiniest bit loose.

Rosé returned with their pitcher, two glasses, and an order of sweet potato fries they hadn’t asked for.

“These are the best,” Rosé said, taking one of the fries and popping it into her mouth. “Do you guys know what you want?”

“We’re going to share the sampler,” Jongin told her.

“Smart choice,” she said, “everything on it is good. Which sliders do you want?”

They decided to do one wagyu beef and one ahi, and Rosé took off to put the order in for them.

Jongin poured the sangria for Jennie, and only a tiny bit for himself since Rosé had been so nice to suggest it to them. He took a sip and found that he didn’t hate it like he did most alcohol.

“Mmm, this is the best sangria,” Jennie said after her first sip of it. “I want to take this pitcher home so I can enjoy it all night.”

“Maybe they have a to-go pitcher,” Jongin said, stretching his hands up over his head as he let out a little yawn, not sure why he felt so exhausted all of a sudden.

He looked around at the passersby and general activity of Santa Monica Boulevard. It was calm during this time of day, but he knew at night, it was a completely different story.

Jongin had a lot of memories of coming down here with Kyungsoo and Jongdae, back when Kyungsoo had come out to them and they were doing their best to accompany him to places where he could hang out with other gay boys and feel comfortable. He remembered the first LA Pride Festival they attended on this boulevard, and how shocked Jongin and Jongdae had been by all they had seen. And while Jongin and Jongdae had felt like they had stepped into a strange world, Kyungsoo had loved every second of it.

It was attending that first festival that had given Kyungsoo the confidence to own it and not hide who he was, knowing that he wasn’t alone and reinforcing that he, much like Rosé, was who he was. One of Krystal’s best friends, Amber, had taken Kyungsoo under her wing, and the two of them started hanging out up here whenever they could.

Which was fine at first. Until Yixing got into the picture. And then everything changed.

“So, did you work things out with your roommate?” Jennie asked Rosé, who had pulled over a chair to sit with them since things were slow at the moment.

“Yeah, about that,” Rosé said, eating more of the sweet potato fries, “So after we had that whole fight about the third roommate not paying rent, and then that other fight about renting out the couch to a fourth person so that we could make rent and not all get kicked out this month, we ended up hooking up.”

Jongin had been in the process of putting a fry in his mouth, but he abruptly stopped and looked at her.

“What?” Jennie asked confused.

“Yeah, me and Shay are now hooking up. I mean, I guess when I look back at it, a lot of our fights were probably just bouts of pent up sexual tension.”

“Oh my God,” Jennie said.

Jongin said, “Wow,” and ate his fry.

“Wait, but…” Jennie then said, and Jongin knew she’d ask everything he wanted to ask, so he focused on eating instead since he was starving. “Shay’s a girl.”

“Oh, yeah,” Rosé said, “By the way, I’m totally bi.”

“Since when?” Jennie asked surprised.

“I don’t know,” Rosé said as if she had to think about it. “I mean, I always found Jisoo hot, so I think forever probably.”

“What about me?” Jennie pouted, and Jongin snorted.

“You’re not my type,” Rosé said, shoving her arm, and Jennie pouted more. “Neither is Jisoo, but she’s so hot I couldn’t help it.”

“What’s your type then?” Jongin asked her, highly amused by all this.

“I think I prefer hot over cute,” Rosé nodded to herself, like she just may have discovered this. “Shay is hot as fuck. She’s half Filipina and half white, and tall and gorgeous.”

“Well no wonder Sehun wasn’t your type,” Jongin teased, pouring himself a little more of the sangria after all.

“I like boys too,” Rosé pointed out, even though Jongin had gotten that from the “bi” part. “But Sehun is too goody-goody for me. I like boys who are a mess.”

“You’re a mess,” Jennie teased her, and Rosé laughed and got up to go check up on things. “Wow,” Jennie said, shaking her head, “I was not expecting that.”

“Maye you should hook her up with Baekhyun,” Jongin pointed out. “It’d be cute. They could be bi together.”

“That would be cute,” Jennie said, “But I don’t think Baekhyun’s enough of a mess. Although I’m so sad that he and Jisoo aren’t hooking up anymore. They were so good together.”

“It’s probably for the best,” Jongin shrugged. “If they had gone on much longer, it would have just become a relationship, and we all know how Baekhyun feels about those.”

“He just hasn’t met the right person,” Jennie said, taking a picture of her sangria with her phone. “He should have given Jisoo a chance.”

“I don’t think it’s about meeting the right person for him,” Jongin pointed out, smiling at her phone when she trained it on him. Then he continued after she took the picture, “I think he chooses to not commit to anyone because he doesn’t want to go through what his mom’s gone through.”

“Oh,” Jennie said, furrowing her brows, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I’m not a psychiatrist,” Jongin shrugged, “But that’s always been my theory on it. He’s so adamant about it that it has to stem from something, and that’s the thing that makes the most sense.”

“You’re probably right,” she nodded. “How sad.”

Jongin shrugged again and said, “It works for him.”

His phone vibrated, and he saw his sister’s face appear on his screen. He picked up the call, and before he could even greet her, she was talking to him with excitement.

“I told you this Summer Kyle gig was a good idea. She wants you to choreograph her showcase!”

“I know,” Jongin chuckled, putting his finger up to indicate to Jennie that he’d be right back. He left the patio to pace up and down the street as he talked to his sister. “So am I actually doing it?”

“Of course you are,” Jonghee confirmed, “We’re working it out with her people. Also, she loved you. I mean she already loved you, but her agent couldn’t stop talking about how much she loved working with you. She’s already come up with the concept for her next video and she wants you to be the lead again. It appears you’re her muse.”

“What?” Jongin said, snorting at this. “That’s probably not true.”

“Oh, it’s very true. This is the best-case scenario. If this girl blows up and becomes the next Ariana Grande, you are set for life.”

“I’ll do the best I can to help her get there,” Jongin said, not able to process the possibility of this being his big break. “I just need to teach her non-dancing ass how to dance.”

“If anyone can, it’s you,” Jonghee told him. “Either way, keep your phone nearby in case dad and I need to discuss anything with you once they send this contract over.”

“Will do,” Jongin said, and after saying bye, he hung up and sat back down at the table where Rosé had rejoined them.

“Brought you water,” Rosé said, pointing out the glass of water by his sangria glass. “Since you hate alcohol.”

“Thanks,” Jongin told her with an appreciative smile. “This sangria is really good though. I actually don’t mind it.”

“I told you,” Rosé said.

“Was that about the choreography?” Jennie asked, excited all over again.

“It was,” Jongin confirmed, “Contracts are being sent and discussed.”

Jennie did a small clap and filled Rosé in on the news while Jongin enjoyed his much-needed drink of water.

“That’s badass,” Rosé said, giving Jongin’s arm a light punch. “Go you.”

“Thanks,” Jongin said with a chuckle.

“If she goes on tour,” Rosé then added, “Make her hire me. I can play shitty pop chords on guitar all day long.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jongin said with a laugh.

“Rosé is so good at guitar,” Jennie told him, “And piano. She really could do it.”

“Noted,” Jongin said with a nod. “Based on her music though, I have a feeling a live band won’t come until much later.”

“You should start doing open mic nights,” Jennie then said to her, as if she had thought of the most brilliant idea. It was cute, and Jongin chuckled. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol do them all the time together.”

“I don’t want to sing though,” Rosé said, scrunching her nose. “I just want to play. Actually, I have no idea what I want to do. I told them to start training me on bartending, so maybe that will be my thing.”

“Okay, but you know bartenders aren’t allowed to drink the booze, right?” Jongin teased her, and Rosé gave him the middle finger.

“You’d be a great bartender,” Jennie told her.

“This is why she’s getting the discount and you’re not,” Rosé said to Jongin, and then laughed and got up to check to see if their food was ready.

Once she got them their food, the patio began to fill up a bit and Rosé had to actually work instead of hanging out with them. Everything smelled and looked delicious, and as they started trying out each item in the sampler, it was confirmed that everything tasted as good as it looked.

“So, it’s about a month until Jongdae’s birthday,” Jennie brought up. “Are you guys doing anything special for him? He’s no longer going to be a teenager so it’s a big deal.”

“We haven’t discussed it yet,” Jongin said, cutting the two sliders in half for them to each take a piece of each. “I’m going to visit him this week and check up on things, so I’ll ask him then if he wants to do anything special.”

“Do they have a date set for the wedding ceremony yet?” she then asked, dipping her veggie taco in the salsa.

“Not yet,” Jongin confirmed, “They’re still not on great terms, so he’s not bringing it up until things get better for them.”

“I don’t understand why she’s being so stubborn,” Jennie said, frowning, “She should give him a second chance. Jongdae is the nicest guy.”

“Yeah,” Jongin sighed, “I don’t know either. Like at first, fine, I get it. But it’s been four months. At some point you’ve gotta let it go.”

“Exactly,” Jennie nodded. “How’s the search for Lisa’s new boyfriend coming?”

Jongin groaned, and Jennie frowned again, but this time in understanding and amusement.

“Still working on it,” he said, and then devoured his half of the ahi slider in one bite.

Once they were finished eating, Rosé gave them their bill for the sangria, saying that her manager comped their meal for them. Jennie paid the bill, making sure to leave Rosé a great tip.

They decided to take a nice stroll down the boulevard, holding hands and walking off all the food and drink that they had consumed. Jennie pointed out a sex store of sorts and told him they had to check it out. Jongin chuckled in amusement and told her that he’d actually been to this store before.

“What? You have?” she said surprised as she opened the door.

“Yeah, during one of the Pride events with Soo and Dae,” he said, lowering his voice as he entered, “We weren’t prepared. You’re not going to be prepared.”

“What is that?” Jennie said, wide-eyed as she hurried over to a contraption that frankly looked out of a horror movie.

“Told you,” Jongin said, snickering. “We had the same question. Turns out it’s a bondage table.”

“Hm,” Jennie said, smirking, “What if I got this for my room instead of the queen bed?”

“You’re funny,” he said, and then pointed out another machine near it, “This one took us a while to figure out.”

“What is it?” Jennie said, inspecting it from every angle.

“It’s for kneeling,” Jongin said, pretending to kneel to show her how to use it.

“Fascinating,” she said, and then one of the employees came over to them with a smile, and Jongin felt his cheeks get warm.

“Can I help you lovely folks with anything?” the guy, who was wearing black leather shorts and a mesh shirt asked.

“We were just looking,” Jongin said, but Jennie had questions, lots of them.

“How do you use this?” she asked pointing to a contraption that looked like it could’ve been a massage table with an attached toilet seat in some non-sadistic life.

It amused Jongin how Jennie had no qualms or reservations about asking about everything in the store, wanting to learn about each machine or item like it was perfectly normal to ask this guy about gags and grommets. Which he guessed it was normal for this guy, but still.

When they left, Jennie was inspired, and Jongin held her hand and listened to her talk about ideas she had just gotten for a line she could create.

“Bondage chic?” he asked her, with an amused side glance.

“Yes, but, imagine it being demure? The juxtaposition of making a lot of those pieces in pastel colors instead. I can imagine the runway show already. Flower petals and whips. Oh my God, I need to take this down before I lose it.”

She recorded herself on her phone as she spoke, letting her ideas fly out as she twisted them with further exposition into viable concepts. They ducked into another store, but unlike the last store with its dark and dirty fetishes, this one was bright and cheery, with tank tops in bright colors and harnesses in bright red instead of just black. And then she held up a pair of lacy black thongs for men, and Jongin knew he was in trouble.

“No,” he said before she could suggest it.

“Please?” she said, cocking her head and giving him a cute look.

“That doesn’t even look remotely comfortable,” Jongin pointed out.

“Welcome to my world,” she challenged with raised eyebrows, and he sighed, knowing she made an excellent point.

He let her buy them for him, and as they left the store and strolled back to the car, he mentioned, “I just had the thought that those underwear will probably be all that I’ll be wearing when The Big One hits because that’s my luck.”

“At least you’ll look sexy as you hide under a table,” she said, poking him with a mischievous smile.

He poked her back, and she tried to poke him again, but he evaded her and took off running toward the car with her chasing him and yelling at him that she was going to get him anyway. She did poke him again, once they were in the car, and he tickled her side, which made her yelp and hit his arm as she laughed.

They got back to her apartment, and as much as she wanted him to stay to try on the new underwear, he let her know that under no circumstances would he be wearing those and then trying to do anything on that bed because that was just tempting fate.

“It would be my luck that the bed would break, and I’d have to be rushed to the hospital wearing only those,” he pointed out, laughing so hard at the idea that he barely got the thought out.

She was laughing too, doubled over as she held the underwear to try and get him to change into them.

“Fine,” she said, acquiescing and handing them over to him, “Once I have my bed, you have to promise to come over, already wearing these, so when I take your pants off, I’ll be surprised to see them. You can’t tell me what day. It has to be a surprise.”

“Won’t you be surprised when you’re 80 years old and still waiting for me to show up wearing them?”

“Babe,” she said with a whine, and he took the underwear and gave her a kiss instead to make her stop.

“Fine,” he said, looking at the lacey thing in his hand. “The things I do for you.”

“You love me,” she said with a teasing grin, and he blinked, and then paused, causing her to blink and lose her grin. “I mean, it’s an expression,” she played off.

“No, I know,” he said, quickly, not having expected her to say that. “It was… really cute how you said that,” he played off, wondering why he suddenly felt off-centered by it.

She smiled and gave him another kiss, then a pat on the butt, which made him laugh and forget about that unexpected moment. They exchanged several more kisses, all the way to the front door until he finally left, still clutching the lacey man-thong without realizing because he was distracted.

As he drove back to his own place, he thought again about what she had said, and by the time he parked in his parking garage, he realized that she had probably been right. Probably.

_You love me._

He’d have to think about it a little more.


	4. Chapter 4

As Kyungsoo ate his burger, he finally stopped wishing he was back in the bookstore buying books. The burger had been worth coming to the Rush barbecue for, even if the whole concept had made him want to turn around running. From the moment they arrived, dude-bros were everywhere, teaming up to play frisbee and flag football—two things Kyungsoo had never wanted to spend a day doing.

And then there were the other guys, the non-dude-bros. These were the guys in designer Polo shirts and board shorts, red SOLO cup in hand, with a hand in a pocket, leaning casually and asking other people about themselves while checking their Rolex every few minutes and mentioning something about interning at some big-name company that their dad had lined up.

“This was everything I expected it to be, but more,” Baekhyun said, taking it all in with a big smile in between bites of his burger. “Every single guy here has a punch-able face. It’s amazing.”

“I didn’t know we went to school with this many white people,” Kyungsoo said, and Baekhyun threw his hand over his mouth to keep the loud laugh from coming completely out.

“I’m more used to that than you are,” Baekhyun said, chuckling. “I guess this is a culture shock for you.”

It was true. Unlike Kyungsoo, whose neighborhood had been mostly Korean-American, and whose school was primarily made up of Korean Americans, Baekhyun had grown up in Beverly Hills, surrounded by privileged white kids. He definitely had more experience with feeling like the odd man out in school than Kyungsoo did.

“Jisoo chose this?” Kyungsoo had to ask Baekhyun. “Like, is her sorority all these kinds of people?”

“Worse,” Baekhyun said, starting on his hot dog, “It’s the female version of these kinds of people.”

“Sounds terrifying,” Kyungsoo said, giving a little shudder for effect, and then Baekhyun warned him that they were being approached.

Kyungsoo finished chewing just in time to say hello back to the guy, one of the dude-bro ones, who had greeted them.

“These burgers are great, right?” the dude-bro said, and they both nodded.

“It’s my favorite part of the barbecue,” Kyungsoo said with honesty, and the dude-bro, who said his name was Greg, laughed really hard.

“You’re funny,” Greg said. “What are your majors?”

“Music,” Baekhyun said.

“Theatre,” Kyungsoo replied.

“Oh wow, you’re creative types,” Greg said, excited, which Kyungsoo thought maybe meant he was a fellow “creative type.” “I’m a Public Policy major. I think creative types are really cool though.”

“Public Policy is cool,” Baekhyun said, and Kyungsoo’s eyes looked from side to side as he thought about what the hell that major even was.

“Yeah, you know, it’s a good one if you’re going into Law School.”

“I’ve heard that,” Baekhyun said. “What kind of lawyer do you want to be?”

“Corporate,” Greg said, and Kyungsoo had guessed it’d be that one. “Are you guys planning on being musicians and actors then, or are you doing something else for grad school?”

“No, we both plan on dropping out altogether once our careers take off,” Baekhyun stated, and Kyungsoo nodded. Then Baekhyun pointed toward Kyungsoo, “He shot a movie over the summer.”

“Dude, no way,” Greg said excitedly, and Kyungsoo was stuck having to tell him about it, no thanks to Baekhyun.

After Greg, came a Todd, and after Todd, came a Cameron, and when Baekhyun and Kyungsoo tried to walk around, hoping the new strategy of not staying in one place eating would mean they’d be left alone to keep snacking on things, they were intercepted by another Greg, and then a Bryan, which made Baekhyun laugh as he told him that his name was Bryan too.

“I think we ate enough,” Kyungsoo said, feeling stuffed. “Let’s go before another Greg finds us.”

“Great plan,” Baekhyun said, grabbing a can of soda for the road.

Just as they turned to leave, they were intercepted by another guy who didn’t quite look like the rest. Somehow, among the sea of white dude-bros that surrounded them, there existed this tall, Asian, and handsome dude-bro that now stood before them.

“Are you guys rushing?” the young man asked, very brightly, with bright brown eyes and a bright expression. Kyungsoo found it overwhelming, and he almost answered that yes, they were rushing to leave, but decided to play nice.

“We were just checking it out,” Baekhyun told him, signaling to all of it with his soda can. “But we don’t think it’s really our thing.”

“What? Why not?” the guy asked, his eyes going even wider for some reason. His smile dropped, but only a little.

“Honestly, I’m a musician, and he’s an actor, and we don’t think we’ll be here all four years if our careers take off, which we’re hoping they do.”

“Oh, wow,” the guy said, a full smile in place again. “Are you guys famous?”

“Not yet,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle. “So, are you rushing?”

“Oh, no, I’m already in a frat. I’m in Lambda,” he said with pride, showing off the small insignia on his T-shirt, which did seem to look like the one on the shirt of one of the Greg’s. “You should join our frat. There’s this famous actor’s son in it, and this other actor’s son,” he said as he looked up in thought, “and this one guy whose dad is like a big filmmaker, and…”

“What frat is this again?” Kyungsoo asked, suddenly tuning in.

“Lambda Chi Alpha,” he said, looking even more excited as if he’d successfully recruited them.

“I’m Kyungsoo, by the way,” Kyungsoo said, putting his hand out for a shake, “I don’t think we introduced ourselves.”

“Oh, we didn’t,” the Lambda said as if surprised by this fact, and he shook his hand and said, “I’m Lucas.”

“Very nice to meet you, Lucas,” Kyungsoo said.

“I’m Baekhyun, or Bryan if you prefer my American name,” Baekhyun then introduced himself, and Lucas shook his hand as well and called him Baekhyun as he told him it was nice to meet him. Baekhyun then asked, “So, how do you like being in Lambda?”

“I love it,” Lucas said, looking unsure as to why Baekhyun would need to ask. “It’s such a great frat. We have a lot of fun. Too much fun,” he then said as if lost in thought, and then he tuned in back to them and smiled.

Baekhyun looked over at where he saw Greg #1 and pointed at him, “So, you’re in the same frat as that guy, right?”

Lucas looked over and grinned really wide, then nodded, “Yeah, that’s Greg. He’s really great. He’s always our house’s flag football MVP.”

“I could see that about him,” Baekhyun said, and then he seemed to debate how to ask his next question, then just went for it, “So, are you like the token Asian in that house? What has that experience been like for you?”

“I’m not the only one,” Lucas said, shaking his head, “We have a few. We have a few of everything and then all the rest are white.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun said, nodding.

Kyungsoo looked around for evidence of this, but couldn’t really find it, and he listened as Baekhyun asked him another question.

“What made you pick Lambda over going to an Asian frat?” Baekhyun said, and Kyungsoo noticed that Baekhyun actually looked really intrigued all of a sudden.

Kyungsoo wondered if Lambda would take two Asians at the same time or if that would kill their people of color quota.

Lucas blinked, and then blinked again, and very unironically said, “There are Asian frats?”

It was Kyungsoo’s and Baekhyun’s turn to blink, waiting for Lucas to say that he was kidding, but when he didn’t, Baekhyun laughed.

“Yeah, no one told you?” Baekhyun asked, scratching the back of his head as if maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned it.

“No,” Lucas said, and then he cocked his head and said, “Huh, I wonder what they’re like?”

“Very Asian,” Kyungsoo offered, and Lucas nodded, taking in that information as if he needed to process that it would be the case.

“We never thought we’d fit into one of these frats,” Baekhyun then told him, and once again, Lucas looked surprised by this, “But maybe we were wrong. What’s your major by the way?”

“Oh, I’ve changed it like three times,” Lucas said, “I came in my freshman year as a Business Administration major because that’s what my parents told me to major in, but I realized it wasn’t for me, so I changed it to Psychology because I thought that could be interesting, but that wasn’t for me either, so then I had a heart-to-heart with my Big, and he said that he knew exactly what my major should be. He told me that with my good looks and my love of sports, I should be a sports announcer.”

Lucas said this in utter amazement as if his frat big brother had given him the meaning of life. Kyungsoo was also in utter amazement—by Lucas’s reaction.

“You guys,” Lucas said like he still couldn’t believe it, “Why hadn’t I thought of that? It was so obvious. I love sports. I’m good looking. I should be on TV coverings sports.” He shook his head like it was still unbelievable.

Kyungsoo snickered, and when Lucas looked at him, he shook his head as well to play it off. “Unreal,” he added, for that extra touch of empathy.

“I know,” Lucas said, smiling at him. “Honestly, being in a frat has helped me so much because I’m guided by really intelligent people. Our frat has the highest GPA out of all the frats on Greek Row.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, furrowing his brows, “Is that a requirement? What kind of GPA are we talking about here?”

“It’s not a requirement,” Lucas assured him with a big smile. “Well, you have to maintain a minimum, but that’s easy to maintain. My GPA isn’t that high.”

Kyungsoo was not surprised to hear this.

“What year are you?” Baekhyun asked him, “You’ve changed your major three times, so you can’t be a freshman or anything.”

“I’m a junior,” Lucas said, and both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had found that unexpected.

“We’re sophomores,” Baekhyun pointed out. “Just out of curiosity, on a scale of one to ten, how’s the general sentiment of your frat house toward people who aren’t… straight.”

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrow, then looked at Lucas, glad Baekhyun had the balls to just ask. He supposed he shouldn’t get his hopes up about instantly having access to industry kids just in case they weren’t going to let him in if he was gay.

“Are you gay?” Lucas asked, his eyes going big and round again.

“I’m bi,” Baekhyun said with a proud smile.

“Shut up,” Lucas said, smiling super big, “I’m gay.”

“Wait what?” Kyungsoo said, doing a double take as if he hadn’t heard him right.

“You are?” Baekhyun said, looking a little stunned.

“Yeah, some of my other frat brothers are bi, just me and one other guy are gay though. Everyone else is straight, well, except this one guy who’s asexual,” Lucas said, then looked off as if considering this, before adding, “Or a gnome.”

“I’m sorry?” Kyungsoo asked, once again sure he hadn’t heard him right.

“We don’t see him a lot,” Lucas explained as if that was a legitimate explanation to his comment.

“So Lambda doesn’t care that we’re Asian, bi, or have shitty grades?” Baekhyun recapped, just to make sure.

“No, we just like to have fun,” Lucas assured them, and then he pointed back and forth between them and asked, “Are you guys a couple?”

“No,” they both replied at the same time.

“We’re roommates and best friends,” Baekhyun clarified. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. You know, honestly, it would really suck if only one of us got a bid because we’re kind of a package deal.”

“Oh,” Lucas said, nodding in understanding, “I can bring that up at the house meeting tonight.”

“That would be great,” Baekhyun said, giving him a thumbs up.

“You guys have to come to all our events this week,” Lucas then told them. “That’s super important. And I can point out other Lambdas to you, so you know who to talk to.”

“Well, we know Greg,” Baekhyun said, motioning in that direction.

“Yeah, he’s great,” Lucas said as if he hadn’t already mentioned that earlier in the conversation. He then pointed out some of his other brothers and made sure to point out the other gay one and two bi ones. “When you visit the houses tomorrow, make sure and come to ours.”

“Do we have to go to the others?” Kyungsoo asked, not caring to deal with more of this than he had to. “Can we just come to yours and hang out?”

Lucas smiled really wide again and said, “Sure, then you can probably talk to everyone.”

“Oh, joy,” Kyungsoo said, and Baekhyun elbowed him and smiled at Lucas.

When they finally left the barbecue, Kyungsoo wasted no time in letting Baekhyun know what was on his mind.

“We have to get into that fraternity,” Kyungsoo said, making it clear with his tone that he was not joking.

“I know,” Baekhyun said, his tone indicating the same, “We have got to figure out how to get in.”

“I need to figure out who in the industry these people are the offspring of,” Kyungsoo stated, excited by the possibilities.

“I need to see Lucas on a daily basis,” Baekhyun said, and Kyungsoo chuckled, then realized Baekhyun wasn’t joking.

“He’s thoroughly entertaining,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“Soo, he is… the most adorable, clueless person that I have ever met,” Baekhyun said, looking as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Definitely clueless,” Kyungsoo nodded. At least he could agree with that. He wasn’t sure about adorable.

“Like, did I make him up?” Baekhyun said as if talking to himself.

“Why does it sound like you have a crush on him?” Kyungsoo asked, giving his friend a side-eye.

“Because I do,” Baekhyun told him, “How could I not have a crush on the most adorable non-blond blond on campus? That's never really been my type, but I’m definitely making an exception here.”

Kyungsoo laughed so hard that he had to stop walking to double over and catch his breath.

“Laugh all you want,” Baekhyun said, waiting patiently for Kyungsoo to stop, “But I need to get into that fraternity. I want Lucas to be my Big. In every sense of the word.”

“Oh my God, where’s a trashcan I can throw up into?” Kyungsoo said, pretending to gag.

“I swear I could listen to him talk all day,” Baekhyun continued, not understanding Kyungsoo’s plight. They started walking again, but Kyungsoo kept giggling uncontrollably. “When he said he was gay, I almost lost my shit.”

“At least he’s not a gnome,” Kyungsoo said and had to double over again and stop walking, not able to stop the eruption of laughter coming from his body.

“What did that even mean?!” Baekhyun said, sounding astounded and amused. “I want to know. I want to go on dates with him and have him say random shit that confuses me.”

“Can you believe he was a Psychology major?” Kyungsoo said, trying to regain control of his breathing. “Could you imagine him being a psychologist?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun said, “He would be like, ‘So tell me about your family,’ and as you told him, he’d be more amazed and say things like ‘Whoa’.”

“Probably,” Kyungsoo nodded, finally able to both breathe and walk again. “But now he’s going to be a sports announcer, which means as someone makes a basket, he’ll just go, ‘Whoa’ and not say anything else.”

“I’m so crushing,” Baekhyun said, hopping up and down then walking again. “I want him, Soo. I want the adorable, clueless frat boy. We need to not screw up this rushing thing.”

“We won’t,” Kyungsoo promised him. “I need these connections.”

They fist bumped as they said, “Deal,” then crossed the street to their block, heading to their lobby and entering the building. As they walked through the courtyard, Kyungsoo noticed Chanyeol coming out of a first-floor apartment, and he paused.

“Hey,” Baekhyun said, seeing Chanyeol as well.

“Hey,” Chanyeol said, smiling as he walked over to them. “I tried to visit you guys, but you weren’t home.”

“We were at the rush barbecue,” Baekhyun told him.

“Oh man, how’d that go?” Chanyeol asked, looking at them amused, and Kyungsoo realized that he missed seeing Chanyeol’s amused face. Then he realized he just missed seeing his face in general. Had he gotten taller over the summer?

“We need to become Lambdas,” Baekhyun stated, and Chanyeol looked as if he thought Baekhyun was joking, which was understandable.

“Baek has a crush on a Lambda,” Kyungsoo explained.

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, surprised for a moment before nodding. “Well I hope you become a Lambda then.”

“I must,” Baekhyun said, then nodded at him, “You headed home? Or do you wanna come over and hang out?”

“I’ll come over,” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo smiled. He noticed that Chanyeol caught that, which made him embarrassed, so he just turned to walk to the apartment.

Kyungsoo headed straight to his room to change into sweats and a tee, then came back out to the living room where Chanyeol sat on the couch, typing something into his phone.

“Want some water?” Kyungsoo asked him, heading to the kitchen to get himself a cup.

“Sure,” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo pulled out another cup and filled them both with water, heading to the living room and handing Chanyeol his cup just as Baekhyun came out of his room, pushing up the sleeves of his baseball tee.

“You should come with us tomorrow,” Baekhyun said, plopping on the couch right beside Chanyeol. “We’re supposed to visit all the houses on Greek Row.”

Kyungsoo sat in the large beanbag that Baekhyun had brought with him to the apartment, and after a day of standing around and talking to more people than he liked, sitting in the beanbag, as it cradled his body, felt amazing.

“That sounds both boring and interesting at the same time,” Chanyeol said, looking unsure about it.

“It is,” Baekhyun said with a small chuckle, “Which is why you should come with. We should somehow get Jongdae to come too, and then we can all have fun together.”

“Yes, Jongdae should come,” Kyungsoo agreed. “He should come to at least one of these things since he’ll never really get to do it.”

“We’re doing it,” Baekhyun decided. “Nayeon’s going to be busy with rush things anyway, so you might as well hang out with us.”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips to the side, watching Chanyeol as he told Baekhyun he had a good point. The Nayeon thing was so weird, and even though Baekhyun had told him that she was nice and a pretty good first girlfriend for Chanyeol, Kyungsoo still thought it was weird. Especially since it had happened so soon after their random “experimenting” day.

But he didn’t ultimately care. It was good that Chanyeol had someone, and Kyungsoo had Taeyong, so maybe this was how everything was supposed to be.

“Have you talked to Jisoo yet about this rushing thing?” Chanyeol asked Baekhyun, “She might be able to give you pointers.”

“Get her on the phone right now,” Baekhyun said, not having thought about this and telling Chanyeol he was brilliant.

Chanyeol put Jisoo on speaker and Baekhyun explained that he needed to get into a frat because it had the cutest, clueless boy he had ever met, and he needed to be in his presence on a daily basis.

Jisoo hung up, which caused confused glances from each of them, and then they called her back.

“Sorry,” Jisoo said as she picked up again, “I needed a few minutes to laugh at you for this. What frat is it?”

“Meanie,” Baekhyun said, and then told her, “Lambda Chi Alpha.”

Jisoo snorted and said, “Of fucking course.”

“Explain your reaction, _juseyo_ ,” Baekhyun said.

“They’re the biggest, wealthiest, and best-looking frat on your campus. They’re also coming off a three-year suspension for hazing several years ago and will do anything to make sure they retain the reputation they had before they had to lay low. Mostly, they’re known for partying. They hit up a lot of clubs in Hollywood and WeHo and are known for drinking a lot and drug use. Every sorority girl on your campus wants to date a Lambda.”

“How the hell did Lucas get in?” Kyungsoo said, thinking he didn’t seem like anything she had just described. For all his faults, he seemed like a nice and down-to-earth guy who probably wouldn’t ever drink or do drugs.

“Maybe there’s something about Lucas we haven’t learned yet,” Baekhyun said, looking excited and intrigued.

“Who’s Lucas?” Jisoo asked.

“The cute, clueless Lambda we met today at the rush barbecue thing,” Baekhyun explained. “He’s the reason I’m falling down this rabbit hole.”

“Please, you’ve already hit the bottom,” Kyungsoo snorted, and Chanyeol laughed.

“Shit, you guys went to an event?” Jisoo said, her tone turning serious. “How many Lambdas came up to talk to you?”

“Uh, there was Greg,” Baekhyun said, counting them off on his fingers, “Lucas, the three guys Lucas told us to talk to…”

Jisoo let out a laugh, which sounded a little sarcastic, then said, “They’ve already recruited you.”

“What?” Baekhyun said.

“Did the first Lambda guy come up to you guys first, or did you approach him?”

“No, he came up to us,” Baekhyun said, looking at Kyungsoo who nodded at him in confirmation.

“And how did that go?” Jisoo asked.

“It was fine, I guess,” Baekhyun shrugged. “He seemed nice. He was a jock, but we told him our majors and he said he liked creative types.”

“I bet he did,” Jisoo said, and then she asked, “And how much later did Lucas approach you?”

“Maybe like 45 minutes or an hour,” Baekhyun tried to remember. “We got talked to by a lot of other guys, so he came after them.”

“Did you guys fill anything out before the event?” Jisoo then asked.

“Uh, no?” Baekhyun said, furrowing his brows. “Wait, we had to fill out these forms online yesterday to RSVP to the barbecue. It was like our name, major, interests, stuff like that.”

“Yep,” Jisoo said, and then explained, “So this is what happened. The frats get a copy of those answers. They look through them to see who’s worth talking to at the events. Lambda decided you were and sent guy number one to get a feel. Guy number one then reported back to whoever. It must have been a good report because they sent your Lucas guy over to sway you guys to choose them. They want you, but they can’t say they want you yet because you have to go through the whole rush process first.”

“I feel violated,” Kyungsoo said, frowning.

“Oh, it gets worse,” Jisoo warned them. “Do you have to go visit houses tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said.

“They’ve already gone through your social media if you put it on the form, so they already know what they’re working with,” Jisoo told them. “Tonight, they’re basically going to have a huge meeting to decide who they’re going to focus on for the rest of the week to get to pledge Lambda.”

“I don’t have social media,” Kyungsoo said.

“A blessing and a curse,” Jisoo pointed out. “Different Greek organizations treat that sort of thing differently, but in the case of Lambda, it might work in your favor. They party hard, and the last thing they want is a brother slipping up while drunk and posting things he shouldn’t be, so you not having social media might be a good thing.”

“Mine’s just mostly selfies,” Baekhyun said, and then he smiled, “I hope Lucas looks through my Insta. Maybe he’ll think I’m cute.”

“They look at your social media accounts to also see who you follow and who follows you back,” Jisoo said, “Jennie is verified, and you guys are mutuals, same with your mom, so you have two blue checkmarks following you. That’s going to count a lot.”

“I didn’t know your mom had an Instagram,” Kyungsoo said with a fond smile.

“I follow her,” Chanyeol said, smiling as well.

“I do too,” Jisoo said, “I love when she posts random Korean recipes, and of course, pics of Emily. I almost unfollowed her when she posted one of you though.”

“Rude,” Baekhyun said, pouting in a funny way even though Jisoo couldn’t see him.

“That means they’re going to figure out that you’re a celebrity’s son,” Chanyeol then pointed out to Baekhyun.

“Yep,” Jisoo confirmed, “which is why they’re trying to recruit him.”

“Wait,” Kyungsoo said as he realized another possibility. “Do you think that maybe they just want to recruit Baekhyun and not me? We were together the whole time, so they could have just been nice to me to make a good impression in front of him.”

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” Jisoo said, “They’re going to make sure you’re separated so they can talk to you individually. They’ll probably assign Greg and Lucas to you guys again since they’re the ones they used already to make contact. They purposely match the same people up, so you feel comfortable with them and tell them everything they need to find out.”

“Are you allowed to be giving out all these trade secrets?” Chanyeol asked, chuckling.

“Different school, don’t care,” Jisoo said. “At some point in the night, if a random floater comes to talk to you, like the most popular guy in the frat, or the chapter president, then that means they are actively trying to recruit you. What happens is that the person assigned to you gave the floater some secret signal to let them know that you’re perfect for the frat, so they’ll make their way over to check it out. That’s how you’ll find out if they want both of you or just one of you.”

“I’m scared,” Kyungsoo said, looking more annoyed than scared.

“Why do you want to get in so badly?” Chanyeol then asked him. “Like, I know Baekhyun just wants to bone this Lucas guy, but what’s your angle?”

Hearing Chanyeol use the term “bone” in such a casual slangy way was so bizarre that Kyungsoo had to take a moment to process it. Since when had Chanyeol started talking like that? So weird. Like the Nayeon thing. Just super weird.

“This frat has the offspring of people in the industry,” Kyungsoo told them.

“Oh, yeah,” Jisoo said, “Everyone knows that’s the frat that industry kids are in. Even the ones at our chapter in UCLA are full of them. Yours has that one famous actor’s kid though. He’s a foreign actor. I can’t remember his name, but he’s huge in the Middle East.”

“I have to get in,” Kyungsoo said, leaving no room for argument.

“Did you get recruited in advance?” Chanyeol then thought to ask Jisoo.

“Yep,” Jisoo said, “Even among the blondes, Jennie’s name and brand goes a long way.”

“Bless Jennie,” Baekhyun said. “Once I get the bid, I’m sending her a basket of Mrs. Fields cookies.”

Kyungsoo snorted at that, and Jisoo told him he was stupid.

“They want me to go with them tomorrow,” Chanyeol relayed to Jisoo, “Is that going to be weird since I wasn’t at the thing today?”

“Nope,” Jisoo replied, “If tomorrow is when you visit the houses for the first time, then that’s Round 1. You’re fine to join in at Round 1, although you’ll be taken less seriously since you weren’t at the initial event.”

“Good,” Chanyeol said, “I don’t want them to consider me at all.”

“We’re going to drag Jongdae too,” Baekhyun said, “It’s going to be fun.”

“It will be,” Jisoo said, “Rushing was one of my favorite parts of the whole sorority thing. Pledging is awful, but once you survive that, you’re mostly good. Until rush again. Let me tell you, it’s way worse from the other side. We have to make sure we impress the new possible members, so we all have to wear certain things, and do our hair a certain way, and our makeup has to be done right, and if it’s not, we get reamed out for it and called ugly in front of our sisters. Not fun at all. You guys have it easier in frats. Just be grateful that guys don’t give a shit about things like that.”

“Wait,” Baekhyun said, “Someone called you ugly? I’ll fight them.”

“Not me, luckily,” Jisoo clarified. “I’m great at following directions, but some of my other sisters went through it in front of the whole house, and I felt embarrassed for them. Sororities are awful. You guys will be fine in a frat.”

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure about that, but he did point out to Jisoo the funny thought that crossed his mind.

“They probably don’t pick on you because you’re the token,” Kyungsoo joked, “They don’t want you to file a lawsuit against them for being racist.”

“Listen,” Jisoo said, “I have them so scared that they ask me for permission before ordering Chinese food, like it might offend me or something.”

“Oh my God,” Baekhyun said, letting out a huge laugh.

“You’re my hero,” Kyungsoo told her, and he meant it.

“Do they even know you’re Korean?” Baekhyun said in between cackling. “They probably think you’re Chinese.”

“Your clueless boy sounds like he’d fit in well with Jisoo’s sisters,” Chanyeol pointed out.

“He would,” Kyungsoo agreed, and he thought of the “gnome” comment all over again and chuckled to himself. What did it mean?!

As it got later, they hung up with Jisoo, and then Chanyeol left to go to his place. Baekhyun went to take a shower and get ready for his dinner with his first stepdad. Kyungsoo had become one with the bean bag and considered just sleeping in it, and he mentioned this to Baekhyun after he had gotten out of the shower and had come back to the living room, dressed in jeans and a nice shirt.

“Baek, I’m marrying this beanbag,” he let him know.

“Isn’t it awesome?” Baekhyun said with a smile, sitting on the couch to put his socks on, “I figured we’d need more sitting space than just the couch, so I bought it. Plus, I love gaming in it.”

“We might need to get another then,” Kyungsoo pointed out, “So that I can sleep in one while you play in the other.”

“That’s a brilliant idea,” Baekhyun agreed.

Kyungsoo then thought back through the day, and outside of Lucas and his gnome, all he kept thinking about was Chanyeol and his new aura of weirdness. Kyungsoo knew that there was no way to ask about it without Baekhyun knowing why he was probably asking, but he realized that he wanted to talk about it and didn’t care if Baekhyun judged him for it.

“So, this thing between Chanyeol and Nayeon,” Kyungsoo started. “Is it really serious? The whole thing just seems weird.”

“It doesn’t _seem_ weird,” Baekhyun replied, “It _is_ weird. But I’m happy that Chanyeol is having this experience. It’ll help him figure things out.”

“Will it?” Kyungsoo said, raising his eyebrow and not believing it for a second.

“It will,” Baekhyun nodded, “But not in an easy and simple way. He’s actually…” Baekhyun paused, as if he needed to collect his thoughts, or maybe debate something, and then he sighed. “Don’t tell anyone this, but Chanyeol’s actually cheating on Nayeon.”

“What?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, and he sat up a little bit on the bean bag.

“Don’t tell Chanyeol I told you,” Baekhyun said, “And don’t tell anyone. I’m serious.”

“I won’t, but what the hell?” Kyungsoo now needed to know much more. Did this even make sense?

“I know,” Baekhyun said, his tone indicating that he did indeed understand Kyungsoo’s outrage. “He’s playing with fire and doesn’t realize that he’s about to get massively burned.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head and narrowing his eyes as he thought about this. “Five months ago, he’d never kissed anyone, and now he’s seeing someone and cheating on her with someone else?”

“He’s overcompensating,” Baekhyun answered, “And we both know why. It’s obvious he freaked out after your experimenting thing happened. The problem is that Chanyeol doesn’t know that. He thinks he’s finally figured it all out. But he hasn’t figured out anything, and it’s all going to combust sooner than he thinks.”

“How so?” Kyungsoo shifted in the bean bag so he could lean forward and wrap his arms around his knees as he paid attention to Baekhyun.

“He’s cheating on Nayeon with one of her fellow sorority sisters. This girl named Sana.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened even more, and Baekhyun nodded at him in confirmation and then continued.

“Sana has already confided in one of their other sisters, Jihyo, that she’s been hooking up with Chanyeol all summer. Jihyo is one of Nayeon’s closest friends and happens to be her roommate this year.”

“Shit,” Kyungsoo said, not believing what he was hearing.

“It gets better,” Baekhyun told him. “Jihyo then told her other sister Jeongyeon about it. Jeongyeon is Nayeon’s best friend and same-room roommate.”

“He’s so fucked,” Kyungsoo stated. Chanyeol was the stupidest person alive.

“In ways he doesn’t even know,” Baekhyun confirmed. “The thing is, Sana knows the relationship between these girls and Nayeon, which means, she wanted Nayeon to find out because Sana is trying to get them to break up so she can be Chanyeol’s girlfriend instead.”

“That is so…” Kyungsoo couldn’t even think of a word for it.

“Wait for it,” Baekhyun said, putting up his hand, “So knowing that, Jeongyeon, being a great best friend, let Nayeon know.”

“Oh my God,” Kyungsoo yelped. “She knows?”

Baekhyun nodded and said, “Not only does she know, but instead of confronting Chanyeol about it, she’s decided to play the game too. She wants to keep Chanyeol as her boyfriend because it gives her clout, and there’s no way she’s letting Sana take that away from her, so she’s acting oblivious.”

Kyungsoo felt horrified, but he wasn’t even sure what horrified him more—that Chanyeol was that naïve or that Nayeon was that vindictive.

“How did you find all this out?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“I’m friends with their other roommate Momo,” Baekhyun explained, “She gave me the heads up in case I wanted to tell Chanyeol.”

“That was oddly nice of her,” Kyungsoo said, wondering why Nayeon’s friend would help Chanyeol out.

“Yeah, she’s really nice and told me she was worried about the whole situation,” Baekhyun shrugged. “I think she’s hoping that I can make Chanyeol stop cheating so this all becomes a non-issue.”

“So then,” Kyungsoo said, cocking his head a little at Baekhyun, “what’s keeping you from being a good best friend and telling him?”

“I know,” Baekhyun sighed, “I had this discussion with Jisoo about it. Do I tell him or not? On the one hand, I don’t want him to get hurt, so I should tell him so he can break up with Nayeon, stop seeing Sana, and try and find someone else altogether that he can be faithful to. But on the other hand, he’s in the wrong for this, and by telling him, am I excusing his behavior? He shouldn’t have cheated on Nayeon in the first place.”

“That’s a good point,” Kyungsoo nodded. If this were Jongdae or Jongin in the situation, he wasn’t sure he’d cover for them either.

“The whole thing is mind-boggling,” Baekhyun said, tapping his phone against his thigh as he pursed his bottom lip out in thought. “Like, Chanyeol has deep-seated issues about his dad. You would think he wouldn’t purposely follow in his footsteps, but here we are.”

Kyungsoo had no idea what Baekhyun was talking about, and he thought about the man he had met at the basketball game, who had seemed very nice and warm.

“Chanyeol’s dad?” Kyungsoo asked, trying to understand.

“His real dad,” Baekhyun clarified. “Not his stepdad. His stepdad is great, but his real dad was a piece of shit. Kind of like my real dad,” Baekhyun pointed out with an ironic smile.

“Huh,” Kyungsoo said as he slowly understood, “I don’t think I realized or knew that his dad wasn’t his real dad.”

“Yeah, that’s why Sehun and him don’t look alike,” Baekhyun pointed out. “That’s Sehun’s biological dad.”

Kyungsoo let out a slight “ah” as he nodded.

“Chanyeol’s real dad is this public figure in Korea. He was a politician who got caught by the media over there for having an affair with Chanyeol’s mom who was a young socialite and occasional model at the time. At first, he denied everything, as douchebags do. But then Chanyeol’s mom let the press know she was pregnant with his child and that was that.”

“Yikes,” Kyungsoo said, thoroughly invested in this story. “What happened after that?”

“Well, you know how things are over there. Chanyeol’s mom started getting hate from the general public, and of course, nothing happened to Chanyeol’s dad. His wife didn’t even divorce him. Just like how Nayeon won’t dump him. See? It’s crazy that he would repeat the cycle.”

“That is crazy,” Kyungsoo said, not understanding why Chanyeol would want to repeat it either. “Is that why his mom left Korea?”

“Yeah, his stepdad was one of his mom’s former suitors. He had moved to LA in order to start building himself a nice real estate empire. He reached out to her when he found out about what happened, and they got married a few months later. She really wanted Chanyeol to have a dad, and he took on that responsibility like a pro and formally adopted Chanyeol after he was born. He’s a really good guy. Which explains Sehun, who’s also a really good guy. Sehun’s a lot like his dad. And I guess Chanyeol is a lot like his real one.”

“I guess so,” Kyungsoo said, now feeling a little upset about all this. “It doesn’t make sense if, like you said, he has issues about it.”

“He swears that he hates his real dad for what he did to his mom,” Baekhyun explained, “But he doesn’t really tend to talk about it much. Chanyeol’s never met him in person. Once his mom got married, his grandparents and aunts and uncles all moved here too. Their family had been marred by the scandal, so they just left. He’s never had a reason to go to Korea, and as expected, his real dad has never bothered to visit him, so… I don’t know. It seems dumb that Chanyeol should care at all since he has a great stepdad, but he does.”

“It seems very Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said, thinking through it all, “to care.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun agreed with a single nod. “I know this thing with Nayeon isn’t going to end well,” he then said, returning to the initial topic, “and depending on how it goes, I may say something if it’s getting out of hand or heading in an even worse direction. But what I’m ultimately hoping is that Chanyeol learns a lesson and realizes that he never should have been dating her in the first place.”

Kyungsoo agreed then added another sobering thought, “Not to mention, since he’s in denial about everything, if you tell him the truth, he might ultimately be okay with it since if Nayeon’s going to play along, he can keep playing along too.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head and looking up as if he couldn’t believe he had to deal with this at all, and then he reiterated, “Yeah.”

Baekhyun had to head out for dinner, and though the idea of staying in the beanbag for all eternity was tempting, Kyungsoo got up and decided to go to his room to gather the things he needed to put in his backpack for the first day of class. As he did so, he couldn’t stop thinking about the crazy situation that Chanyeol had gotten himself into and all the possible horrible ways it could end. And then he quietly giggled as he considered that maybe Chanyeol could have avoided this whole mess if he had only been a gnome.


	5. Chapter 5

Chanyeol decided that the best part of finally being a junior was getting to truly focus on classes for his major. With the exception of one class, all his other classes were music classes, and it made his Monday fun, which also meant it made it go by really fast.

What was even more fun, was that he finally got to take a class with Baekhyun. They had looked over the course catalog during the summer and decided that it would be in both of their best interests to take Songwriting I together. Chanyeol was excited and looking forward to what they would come up with together in class, and he thought it would be kind of cool if he helped Baekhyun with music for his band, which Baekhyun still had to get together anyway.

Now that the first day of classes was over and he was back at his place, he relaxed for a bit, wondering if he should change into something different for this rush thing. He texted Baekhyun to ask what he was wearing and then smiled when he saw a text from Nayeon pop up.

_Nayeon: Wish I was with you right now instead of setting up for rush._

_Chanyeol: Same. I got roped into checking out the houses on Greek Row._

_Nayeon: Are you going to rush?!_

_Chanyeol: No! Haha. Only checking out and hanging out with my friends._

_Nayeon: You should rush._

_Chanyeol: I don’t have time for it. Gotta focus on winning a championship this year._

_Nayeon: Half the football team is in frats!_

_Chanyeol: Yeah but their season only runs through fall. Ours is fall and spring._

_Nayeon: This excuse. LOL_

_Chanyeol: It’s true!_

He knew that he could pull it off if he wanted to, but he really didn’t care to. Nothing about being in a frat appealed to him. And while he probably could benefit from buying friends, he liked the ones that he had just fine.

Once he was dressed and mentally prepared to hang out at Greek Row for the evening, Chanyeol met up with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo at their place, Jongdae already there and giving him a big hug when he saw him.

“I haven’t seen you in forever,” Chanyeol told him. “How’s Hannah?”

“Awesome,” Jongdae said with a very proud smile. “Today I got to feed her for the first time, and she didn’t fuss at all.”

“Nice going, dad,” Baekhyun said, giving him a hi-five.

Chanyeol gave him a thumbs up and looked over at Kyungsoo who was coming out of his room fixing his sports jacket sleeve. He had layered it over a navy-blue tee, and the jeans he wore were perfectly fitted to his body. The look also confirmed that his face looked a little different. Chanyeol had originally had the thought yesterday when they had hung out, but now seeing him in this outfit and standing instead of lounging in a beanbag, he could definitely tell that his face had thinned out a little as if he had lost some baby fat from his cheeks over the summer. It made Kyungsoo’s eyes pop a bit more. Made him look more striking.

“Alright,” Baekhyun said to Kyungsoo, “Ready to sell our souls?”

“Let’s do it,” Kyungsoo nodded, grabbing his keys from their table.

The four friends walked over the couple blocks to Greek Row, and they were greeted by a lively atmosphere as students walked from house to house or stood outside talking. They were handed a map by one of the organizers, and on it was a guide to all the houses. It was explained to them that they’d form groups to visit each house, but in the end, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo said they’d just go to the one Lucas was at because if they weren’t getting into that one, then they weren’t interested in getting into any other one.

“Hold on. I’m filming,” Jongdae said, and they all stopped walking as they watched a house full of sorority girls sing some weird song to all the potential new recruits outside.

“This is so strange,” Chanyeol said, looking toward Kyungsoo to see if he agreed. He saw him smile and give a quick nod as he continued to watch the girls, and Chanyeol smiled.

“God, I hope Lucas sings to me,” Baekhyun said, and Kyungsoo smacked his arm as Jongdae let out a cackle.

Once the weird singing ended, they headed back down the sidewalk, passing lively frat houses that had music playing from them and sorority houses that seemed to be welcoming people in a very prim and proper way. Chanyeol suddenly wondered if this was what Nayeon was doing now, even though her sorority didn’t have a dedicated house. The Asian, Latino, and other multicultural frats had to set up on campus to lure recruits instead, but he imagined a song may still be involved. He knew from some of his teammates that the black fraternities and sororities did have houses, but they weren’t located on Greek Row. He also knew that they did step shows during rush, and Chanyeol had gone to one with his point guard during sophomore year and loved every second of it. That definitely seemed better than whatever was happening on this row.

“Here we are, gentlemen,” Baekhyun said as they reached the Lambda house. “Destiny awaits. How do I look?”

“The same as you always do,” Jongdae told him, and Baekhyun made a whiny noise then picked at the front of his hair like that would fix something even though nothing was out of place.

They went inside and found the house packed with tons of hopefuls and frat brothers talking to them.

“Holy shit,” Kyungsoo said, his eyes large as he took it all in. “This is a lot of people.”

“More than I expected,” Baekhyun agreed.

“Do they have booze?” Jongdae asked, always thinking of the important questions.

“Jisoo said we’re not allowed to ask,” Baekhyun pointed out. “But I hope so.”

They checked in with the frat boy who had a clipboard, and signed their names then were told to have fun. Jongdae was the first to spot a refreshments table, but it only had water and sodas on it. Chanyeol took a Sprite and then watched as a very excited guy ran up to them.

“You’re here!” the guy said. Based on the way that Baekhyun lit up and looked ready to hug him, Chanyeol guessed that this was Lucas.

“We made it,” Baekhyun said, giving him a bright smile.

“You made it!” the guy said back. “I’m so happy. I was worried I’d be bored all night if you didn’t show up because I was paired up with you.”

“You were paired up with me?” Baekhyun said like he had won ten bucks from a scratch-off lottery ticket.

“Yeah!” he said, and then he looked over at Chanyeol and Jongdae.

“Oh, these are my friends,” Baekhyun then said, introducing everyone and explaining that they wanted to check out what all this frat stuff was about.

“You’re Chanyeol Park,” Lucas said, pointing to Chanyeol.

“I am,” Chanyeol said, amused since Baekhyun had literally just introduced him.

“Dude,” Lucas said, looking amazed for some reason, “You’re my favorite basketball player on the team. We go to all of your home games.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, not having expected that and feeling both shy and excited, “Thanks. I hope you plan on cheering loud for us this season because we plan on winning a national championship.”

“I will cheer the loudest,” Lucas said, as if this was a job he had to take very seriously. “I’ll be your biggest fan.”

“That spot’s already taken,” Kyungsoo said out of nowhere, and Chanyeol looked at him surprised, but then again, so did the other three boys. “By me,” Kyungsoo said with a smile.

“We’re going to cheer together really loud and be his biggest fans,” Lucas said, grabbing Kyungsoo’s arm excited.

“That was a weird flex,” Jongdae remarked to Baekhyun, and Baekhyun snorted, but Chanyeol wasn’t sure what Jongdae had meant by that so he just watched as Kyungsoo told Lucas that he’d already started the fan club.

They were approached by another guy who Baekhyun and Kyungsoo also seemed happy to see again, and they were all introduced again to this new guy whose name was Greg.

“So great to see you guys again,” Greg told them, and then he looked at Kyungsoo and said, “Let me go get Logan. He’s been paired up with you for the night.”

“Oh, cool,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a thumbs up and looking as if he wasn’t sure how he had been supposed to respond to that.

“Logan’s great,” Lucas said to Kyungsoo.

“That’s what you said about Greg,” Kyungsoo pointed out to him, and Lucas nodded and said that Greg was great too. Again.

Greg returned with not just one person, but two, and Chanyeol noticed Lucas smile really wide at these people. Chanyeol imagined that the third person was also great then.

“Hey,” Greg said again once he was back, and he motioned to his right, “This is Logan. He’s a fellow actor so we thought you guys would get along really well.”

“Oh, hi,” Kyungsoo said, looking as if he was suddenly very happy to meet Logan.

“It’s great to meet you,” this Logan guy said, shaking his hand, and Chanyeol had this weird thought that they were very well matched, not just in the actor thing, but in size, stature, and looks. Well almost. With the exception of Logan being white and having blue eyes, they both had black hair, were the same height, and had similar smiles.

“And this is our chapter vice president, Kris,” Greg then said, and Chanyeol blinked as he looked at the guy in front of them. He was even taller than Lucas, and leaner, and Chanyeol absently wondered if he used to play basketball.

“It’s nice to meet you guys,” Kris said, shaking all of their hands, even Chanyeol’s and Jongdae’s. Chanyeol noticed that Kris’s eyes lingered a little on him, and he seemed to give him an extra smile that made Chanyeol’s stomach do a weird flip thing. “Greg and Lucas told me they had a lot of fun talking to you guys yesterday.”

“Yeah, it was a good time,” Baekhyun nodded.

“And the burgers were good,” Kyungsoo said, which made Kris smile.

“Well I hope you guys have fun tonight too,” Kris told them, “Feel free to relax and just chill. There’s an after-party too. I hope you guys stay for that.”

“Sounds good,” Baekhyun said.

Kris and Greg both left as Kris put his arm around Greg to talk to him as they walked away.

“Let me show you the house!” Lucas then said with excitement, and he grabbed Baekhyun’s hand and led him away from them.

Logan chuckled and said, “Lucas,” under his breath as he shook his head.

“He’s funny,” Kyungsoo said like he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t made up how funny Lucas was.

“He’s…” Logan paused as if thinking of what to say with a fond smile, “Lucas.” He finally said with a chuckle. “I love him. He’s the purest, kindest soul in this godforsaken house.”

“Yeah, I got that impression,” Kyungsoo nodded. “So how godforsaken are we talking?”

“Let’s take a walk,” Logan said, and Kyungsoo went with him, leaving Chanyeol and Jongdae alone standing by the refreshments.

“Hey, look, we got paired up!” Jongdae said excitedly.

“Ooooh, are you going to show me around the house?” Chanyeol joked.

“Let’s take a walk,” Jongdae mimicked Logan, and Chanyeol laughed.

But they did take a walk, exploring as people sat in pairs all around the house talking. Chanyeol noticed that some people were indeed floaters, just as Jisoo had said, and they strolled around, observing everything, and then joining certain pairs to talk when they got a signal from a brother to come over.

“Jisoo said that if a high-ranking person came to talk to them, that meant they were in,” Chanyeol said to Jongdae as they stood by an archway leading to a game room with a pool table and massive TV on the wall. “So, I guess since the vice president talked to them, that’s that.”

“I can’t believe Baek and Soo of all people are going to be in a frat,” Jongdae said, looking amused by everything. “It’s so not them.”

“And yet…” Chanyeol shrugged, motioning at their current situation.

“What about you?” Jongdae said, “You’re the big man on campus. I bet they’d love to have you too.”

“I have no interest,” Chanyeol told him, shaking his head to make it clear, “It’s bad enough dating a sorority girl.”

“How are things going with her?” Jongdae asked, taking a sip of his soda as he greeted back a pair that had greeted them as they walked by.

“Great,” Chanyeol said with a big smile, “I really did miss her while she was gone all summer.”

“I bet,” Jongdae said with a nod. “I’m glad it’s going well.”

“How are things going with you and Wendy?” Chanyeol asked back, and Jongdae made the kind of face that gave his answer without having to say anything.

“It’s… a work in progress,” Jongdae sighed. “Last night was awkward once my mom left and it was just her and her mom. I told her this morning that I was going to be gone for a bit tonight, and she looked at me like she didn’t know why I was telling her.”

“It’s been five months,” Chanyeol pointed out, remembering what Baekhyun had told him about the situation.

“Yeah, but it’s only Day 3 of living together,” he said looking a little annoyed by it. “We have a long way to go. We’re not even that comfortable around each other, which is crazy because we used to be so comfortable together.”

“I wish she’d ease up already,” Chanyeol said, thinking this didn’t seem fair to Jongdae.

“Me too, but I get it. She has a lot of resentment toward me, and getting knocked up, putting college and her dreams on hold, having to marry me, having to live so far away from her support system because of it all… I totally get it. She’s had to give up a lot in a short amount of time, so I just need to be patient. I’m hoping once she settles into this, it’ll make it easier for us to talk and start working on our relationship.”

“You’re such a good husband,” Chanyeol remarked.

Jongdae snorted and said, “Hardly.”

In the middle of their conversation, the vice president, Kris, came over to them, and they both smiled and said “hi” to him again.

“So why are you guys so late in rushing?” Kris asked, standing with them as he leaned casually against the wall to talk to them. Chanyeol couldn’t get over the aura this guy had—cool, but in a laidback kind of way.

“We weren’t sure this was our thing,” Jongdae told him, “We just wanted to check it out and see what it was about.”

“It’s about a lot of things,” Kris told him. “Brotherhood, legacy, community, a lot of things. We do more charity work than any other fraternity at this school.”

“That’s good to hear,” Jongdae said, nodding in approval. “You don’t hear that about fraternities often.”

“No one cares about the good stuff,” Kris stated. “They just want to hear about the parties.”

“Very true,” Jongdae agreed.

Kris then turned his attention to Chanyeol, and said, “We have a lot of athletes in this house.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Chanyeol said, motioning toward a couple of the football players he recognized from the training center.

“Actually,” Jongdae said, cutting in, “Not to switch the subject from the ever-exciting topic of sports, but I want to learn more about Lucas. He’s such a character.”

Kris chuckled and looked around as if trying to find him, then looked back at Jongdae.

“Lucas is my little,” Kris told them with a very fond smile. “I’m the reason he’s here. I was tasked with recruiting him last year because we had a lot in common. We were both born in Hong Kong, both grew up in boarding schools here in the U.S., both loved sports a lot. The moment I started talking to him, I knew that he had a great energy that was needed in this house.”

“Oh, you’re from Hong Kong?” Jongdae said surprised, “That’s awesome. Do you visit home much? I’ve always wanted to visit there.”

“I did a semester abroad over there, and I usually go home for the summer,” Kris nodded, “You should visit. It’s a great city. Like no other.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Jongdae told him, and Chanyeol noticed that Kris looked at him again, like waiting for him to say something, so Chanyeol did.

“I’ve been to Hong Kong once,” Chanyeol offered.

“Did you like it?” Kris asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, it was cool,” Chanyeol nodded, and Kris looked happy to hear this. “I took lots of pictures.” He wasn’t sure why it seemed important for him to say that, but he did anyway.

“It’s a great city to take pictures in,” Kris agreed, and then he seemed to consider Chanyeol and said, “I know a lot about you actually. I’ve read your bio on the ‘SC sports site.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said with a chuckle, “I can’t even remember what I wrote for that.”

“You’re from LA, you have a brother, you’re a Music major,” Kris reminded him.

Chanyeol nodded and said, “Sounds accurate. What’s your major?”

“Business Administration and International Relations,” Kris stated, and Jongdae let out a low whistle, which made Kris chuckle again and ask him, “What’s yours?”

“Fine Arts with a minor in Animation and Digital Arts,” Jongdae replied, and Kris perked up.

“No way,” Kris said, “That’s awesome. I love doing art. It’s what keeps me sane.”

“Exactly,” Jongdae said with a nod.

“I debated minoring in it, but my major stresses me out enough,” Kris said candidly, and both Chanyeol and Jongdae looked at him with sympathy.

Kris then noticed someone motioning to him, and he excused himself to go speak with another pair of people, leaving Chanyeol and Jongdae back alone together.

“He seems nice,” Jongdae said, giving a small shrug as he finished the rest of his soda.

“Yeah, everyone’s nicer than I expected,” Chanyeol had to agree.

“Probably because they have to be on their best behavior today,” Jongdae pointed out, and then he smiled and motioned with his head over to a couch where Kyungsoo sat with Logan, both fully immersed in conversation.

“He looks like he’s having a good time,” Chanyeol stated, watching the way Kyungsoo animatedly said something to Logan while gesticulating as Logan laughed and nodded.

“It seems like this frat thing may be for him after all,” Jongdae said, looking amused by it. “It’s good. Soo needs to get out of his bubble more.”

“His bubble?” Chanyeol asked, not sure what Jongdae meant.

“Soo’s a very social person who thinks he’s not,” Jongdae explained. “Because he’s an introvert, he thinks that he doesn’t want to engage with people, but he always comes alive when he really connects with someone.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, more to himself, having remembered how alive he had come when they had started talking in class for the first time.

“I think this is going to be a good thing for him,” Jongdae said, noticing they were being approached by Kris again. “Welcome back,” Jongdae told him with a laugh.

“Thanks,” Kris said, chuckling as he leaned against the wall again. Chanyeol wished he would stop doing that. His lean was very something and made Chanyeol’s senses fire in all kinds of weird directions.

“They’re keeping you busy, huh?” Jongdae asked him.

“This week is always crazy,” Kris confessed. “Have you guys reconsidered wanting to rush while I was gone?”

Jongdae let out a big laugh that made Kris laugh as well, and Chanyeol smiled, definitely agreeing with the reaction.

“My main focus is on winning us a national championship,” Chanyeol told him. “I don’t need any other distractions.”

“Fair,” Kris nodded, and then he looked at Jongdae, “What about you?”

“I’m married with a kid, so I don’t have time for this,” Jongdae flat out said, and Chanyeol snickered at Kris’s surprised reaction.

“Are you kidding?” Kris asked him.

“Nope,” Jongdae said. “I can show you a picture of my daughter. I’m that kind of dad.”

Jongdae did take out his phone to show Kris pictures of Hannah, and Kris looked amazed by this as he addressed Jongdae again.

“What made you get married and start a family so young?”

“I didn’t have a condom when I needed it most,” Jongdae deadpanned, and Kris busted out laughing in a way that didn’t seem possible based on his cool demeanor.

“So, it was a shotgun wedding?” Kris said, putting his hand on his chest as if needing to calm himself down from laughing.

“Yep,” Jongdae confirmed. “With my dad, not hers, being the one holding the shotgun.”

“That’s crazy,” Kris said. “Well it’s too bad you don’t have time for this because you’d be a great addition to our frat.”

Jongdae put his hand over his heart and looked touched, “Just knowing that is enough. Thank you, Kris.”

Kris doubled over laughing again, and Chanyeol chuckled as well.

Again, Kris was called away, and, again, Kyungsoo seemed to be enjoying himself as Logan told him a story, and, again, Chanyeol and Jongdae got themselves more sodas. Then finally, it was announced that the afterparty was starting for anyone that wanted to stick around.

Suddenly, a large sliding glass door was slid open, revealing a large courtyard area where the walls were brick except for one, which was red and had the frat’s Greek letters painted on it. Everyone spilled into the courtyard and the rowdiness factor went up along with the volume of the music.

Chanyeol and Jongdae soon discovered that this was where the booze made its grand entrance, as beer kegs were set up and beer bongs were brought out.

“Should we try and find Baekhyun and Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol asked Jongdae, “It doesn’t seem like people need to stay paired up anymore.”

“I have no idea how we’re going to find them in this mess,” Jongdae pointed out, “Let’s just focus on getting some beer.”

“Good plan,” Chanyeol agreed.

They managed to find a keg with less traffic and lined up with their red party cups just as they were found by Kyungsoo who already had a beer in his hand.

“We didn’t think we’d see you again in this mess,” Jongdae told him, “How’d it go with Logan?”

“Great,” Kyungsoo said, bursting with energy to tell them about it. “He was in that Disney show with the surfers.”

“Oh, really?” Jongdae said, looking as if he was trying to remember which show that was.

“Yeah, and then he got cast in a Paul Rudd movie. It was a small role, but Paul Rudd loved him and got him a job in his next movie in a slightly bigger role!”

Chanyeol couldn’t believe how excited Kyungsoo was about this, and he wanted to hug him and tell him that was great, even though it had nothing to do with his own success. But he seemed so excited that Chanyeol wanted to be excited too.

“They’re probably going to make him your big,” Jongdae pointed out. “We found out that Kris is Lucas’s big.”

“Lucas’s big is the vice president of the frat?” Kyungsoo said, and he snorted in amazement. “Lucas is wild. He’s like soft and pure, but everything I find out about him is like… bigger than I could imagine. Logan told me that Lucas’s family in Hong Kong is stupid rich. Like _Crazy Rich Asians_ rich. His dad is some crazy financial mogul and his mom is an heiress.”

“Amazing,” Jongdae said, and then he looked around, “I haven’t seen Lucas or Baekhyun since Lucas went to show him around the house.”

“They’re probably in this mess somewhere,” Kyungsoo said, looking around as well.

“Hey!” Greg said joining them again. “We’re about to play a round of beer pong. You guys in?”

“Sure,” Jongdae said before Kyungsoo or Chanyeol could, and Chanyeol laughed as he followed along with Kyungsoo to where the beer pong table had been set up.

Greg and Kyungsoo teamed up against Jongdae and Chanyeol, and Chanyeol got called out, by multiple guys standing around, for having an unfair advantage.

“He’s like a pro,” one of the frat brothers said, “Greg, you’re gonna die.”

“Dude sinks threes in his sleep,” another one said, teasing Greg also about how he was going to lose poorly.

“Wait, they’re right,” Kyungsoo said, looking suddenly panicked, “I need to switch teams.”

“Too late,” Jongdae said, pointing at him, “Stay on your side.”

“We got this,” Greg assured Kyungsoo, “I’m the best beer pong player in the house. We won’t lose.”

“It is very different from basketball,” Chanyeol said, putting his hands up in defense, “But I’m still going to make you work for it.”

The guys watching all “ooohed” and said they needed to start placing bets. They started the game with Greg being gracious enough to let them go first, and Chanyeol gave Jongdae the honor of starting for their team.

Jongdae threw the first ball, which bounced around the top of a few cups before finally falling in one.

“Yes!” he cheered, and Chanyeol and Jongdae exchanged hi-fives as Greg took the first drink.

Greg then let Kyungsoo go first for their team, and Kyungsoo successfully got it into one of their cups, causing Jongdae to take the drink as Kyungsoo and Greg celebrated.

As it turned out, they were pretty evenly matched up. Jongdae and Kyungsoo started getting sloppier as the game went on, but Greg was a real pro at this, even as his motor skills started to deteriorate. However, Chanyeol happened to have a lot of beer pong experience, plus, it was in his competitive nature to not allow himself to lose.

Chanyeol managed to knock out the other team’s final cup and victory was theirs, which made Greg’s friends cheer, saying they knew he was going to lose against him. Greg took it like a good sport though and said if he was going to lose to anyone, he was glad it was him.

“That was amazing!” Baekhyun said, coming out of nowhere, and giving Chanyeol and Jongdae congratulatory hugs. “We want to go next.”

Baekhyun and Lucas teamed up to go head-to-head with two of Greg’s buddies, and Kyungsoo latched onto Jongdae like a koala bear as he watched, struggling to stay standing by himself.

“That was impressive,” a voice said beside Chanyeol, and he looked over to see it was Kris.

“I have a lot of beer pong experience,” Chanyeol said, cheeks rosy as he smiled at him.

“Change your mind yet?” Kris asked him with a smirk, and Chanyeol chuckled again.

“You’re persistent,” Chanyeol told him.

“It’s my job to be persistent,” Kris stated, looking a bit put out by it. “It’s alright. Just don’t be a stranger. We throw great parties.”

“I can see that,” Chanyeol nodded, looking around, and laughing as Jongdae and Kyungsoo jumped up and down after Lucas and Baekhyun landed another ball in their opponents’ cup.

“Better than this,” Kris then said, and Chanyeol turned his attention back to him, noticing just how strong his features were. His eyebrows were slanted and pointy, and his nose was narrow and long. It made his resting face look like he was perpetually mad, which oddly reminded him of Kyungsoo.

“Oh, cool,” Chanyeol said, not finding that hard to believe. “I’ll have to crash them.”

“Can’t crash them if you’re invited,” Kris pointed out, and then he watched the game for a moment before asking Chanyeol a question he hadn’t been prepared for. “Are you bi?”

“What?” Chanyeol asked, caught so off guard that he almost choked the question out.

“Lucas told us that Baekhyun’s bi and Kyungsoo is gay,” Kris explained, pointing toward them. “So, I’m wondering…”

“No,” Chanyeol said, smiling at him. “I have a girlfriend.”

“Oh,” Kris said, looking a little confused. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, confused as to why he seemed confused, “She’s in a sorority actually. Well an Asian one, but still.”

“Huh,” he said, still looking like he may not believe him. “That’s so weird. My gaydar is pretty perfect.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked, not understanding him.

“My gaydar,” Kris said, “I’m bi, and I’m really good about telling who’s bi, or gay, or straight. When I met Lucas, I knew instantly he was gay.” Kris then pointed toward Jongdae, “Jongdae comes off entirely straight. Am I right?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, and then felt the need to add, “And so am I. Straight, that is. I am entirely straight.”

“Weird,” Kris said, looking unsure, “You come off as bi.”

“Well, I’m not,” Chanyeol said again, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

“That’s too bad,” Kris said, giving him a humble smile, “I was looking forward to making out with you all night.”

Chanyeol felt that flipping thing happen in his stomach again, and he stared at Kris, not stunned or shocked, but simply lost by the whole comment.

“Sorry,” Kris said, putting a hand up. “Didn’t mean to cross a line.”

“No, it’s fine,” Chanyeol said, not wanting him to think he wasn’t cool about having conversations like this. “I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

“I don’t tend to be so forward,” Kris said with a half-smile, “But my gaydar doesn’t usually fail me like this.”

“Sorry I threw it off,” Chanyeol teased. “Maybe you need to get it serviced.”

Kris chuckled at that, and then looked over as Baekhyun and Lucas were defeated by Greg’s friends. Kris left his side to go congratulate the winners, and Baekhyun and Lucas came over to them, laughing together.

“We were terrible at that,” Baekhyun said, holding onto Lucas’s arm.

“We make a horrible team,” Lucas agreed, snickering as if trying to hold his real laugh in.

Things only got worse from there, with more beer poured, more dares and challenges, and one too many attempts at trying to win against other players in Flip Cup. By the time the four friends left the Lambda house, Chanyeol wasn’t sure he was going to be able to walk home on his own two legs.

“That was insane,” Jongdae said, feeling way too chipper for how much they had all drank. “I haven’t drunk that much since Baek’s birthday.”

“I can’t feel my lips,” Kyungsoo said, sucking his lips in and popping them out repeatedly as if attempting to indeed feel them.

“Why did I drink that much?” Baekhyun lamented. “You guys know I can’t handle my liquor. I’m going to die.”

“You better get used to it, frat boy,” Chanyeol teased him, and Baekhyun groaned.

“Let’s drop you off first since you’re the closest,” Jongdae said to Chanyeol, “I don’t think any of us should walk home alone.”

“Good idea,” Chanyeol said, honestly grateful. He was pretty sure that if they broke apart, he’d fall face first into someone’s lawn and wouldn’t wake up until morning.

“Dae, you should just stay with us,” Kyungsoo then said. “I don’t think Baek and I can walk from Chanyeol’s to your place and then to ours.”

“This is a good plan,” Jongdae agreed, patting Kyungsoo on the back. “Especially since Hannah might wake up just as I get home, and then both Wendy and her mother will see me like this and that can’t possibly end well.”

“You are so smart,” Baekhyun told him. “How is your brain still functioning?”

“I hold my liquor better than you do,” Jongdae reminded him, and Baekhyun groaned again.

“I should’ve just stayed at the frat house with Lucas,” Baekhyun lamented.

“How did your time with Lucas go?” Jongdae asked him, “You guys disappeared for a long time.”

“It was great,” Baekhyun said with a wide, drunken smile, “We spent all of our time making out.”

“What?” all three friends said simultaneously as they looked toward him in shock.

“Yeah, I never got a tour of the house,” Baekhyun said with a giddy laugh. “He just took me straight to his room and we made out until the party started. He’s such a good kisser. You guys, Lucas is my favesies.”

“You are such a ho,” Kyungsoo teased him with a shove to the arm.

“Whatever,” Baekhyun defended, “You’re the one that brought Taeyong over to spend the night on our first night as roommates.”

Chanyeol raised his eyebrows at that.

“You’re both hoes,” Jongdae said. “I’m so jealous. I haven’t gotten laid in so long,” he then whined.

“Aw, Dae,” Baekhyun said, trying to hug him, but only half-hugging him because he missed by half. “It’s just temporary. Your hand will finally get a rest once Wendy comes around.”

Jongdae whined even more, and they all laughed at Jongdae’s predicament.

As sad as Chanyeol was that their fun night was over, once they had dropped him off at his home, Chanyeol had never been happier to be there. He took his shoes off and locked his door, took his shirt off, and fell face-first into his bed, not even caring to set an alarm or worrying about class in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Due to Jongdae’s situation of being married with a kid, Kyungsoo had known that they probably wouldn’t get to see each other as much, so they decided to at least take a class together this semester. They also made sure to pick a fun one that appealed to Kyungsoo’s interests and was required for Jongdae’s minor.

Which is why they now got to rest and relax in the dark theater, watching old silent movies, and doing their best to stay awake as they still tried to recover from their hangovers. He ended up taking a small nap and woke up just as the lights turned back on and the professor took the stage.

Kyungsoo had no idea what Round 2 of rush was going to hold in store for tonight, but he vowed to himself that he’d drink a little less, or at the very least, intersperse it with water. Kyungsoo couldn’t believe how much fun last night had been and getting to know Logan had been one of the best things that had happened to him yet in college. At least his dad had been right about this helping him out with networking.

He wasn’t officially a Lambda yet, but already Logan had given him his agent’s information since Kyungsoo still needed one. He had emailed him that morning, telling him that he had been recommended by Logan and that he was looking for representation. He then submitted his headshot and resume, which at least now had one independent movie on it.

After he had finished shooting his film over the summer, he had found himself back online, looking for open auditions and attending them, but not able to reproduce the luck that he had somehow had his first time around. Though disappointed at first, he had to remind himself that all of these jobs were looking for something specific, and if he wasn’t it, then he wasn’t it. He had hoped to hear back from the casting director from the indie film by now about something new he had him in mind for, but that hadn’t happened either.

If nothing else, this frat thing was going to be a good distraction from obsessing over why he wasn’t getting another role.

Once class was over and Kyungsoo was back home, he took another shower before taking a nap to try and get as much energy together for the second night of rush. His nap was interrupted by a text though, and when he glanced to see who it was, he wished he hadn’t checked.

_Yixing: Haven’t heard back from you. Can we meet soon? I really want to see you and talk._

Kyungsoo stared at the message, not sure how to reply to it exactly, but knowing he probably had to. Or he could block him, but it wasn’t like Yixing couldn’t figure out where he was and pop up unexpectedly if he was determined enough, so Kyungsoo tried to figure out what to type back, and then replied.

_Kyungsoo: Can’t. I’m really busy this week._

At least he wasn’t lying. Between school and rushing, Kyungsoo wasn’t even going to get a chance to hang out with Taeyong, and that kinda sucked.

_Yixing: This weekend then? Are you busy Saturday?_

_Kyungsoo: I might be. I think I’m booked all weekend._

Yixing didn’t reply right away, and Kyungsoo could visualize how he was frowning at his phone, his lazy brown eyes probably blinking as he considered what move to make next. Yixing was always calculating, always planning every aspect of what he did and never wavering from his plans. No matter how much Kyungsoo had told him not to leave for China, he still had. Because that had been the plan, and Yixing wasn’t going to deviate from it.

Much like he wasn’t going to deviate from his plan of speaking with Kyungsoo.

But then again, he was back in LA, and per his previous plans, he was never coming back. Kyungsoo frowned wondering why he was here again.

_Yixing: Are you sure you can’t squeeze in coffee or lunch this week? I know you’re in school. I can come do lunch with you between classes._

_Kyungsoo: My schedule is pretty packed this semester so I’m barely getting to eat. It’s really not a good time._

_Yixing: It doesn’t have to be long._

_Kyungsoo: Why are you even back?_

He had already asked him this many times, and Yixing had yet to answer. Maybe now that he wasn’t getting what he wanted, he would finally give him an explanation.

_Yixing: I want to tell you why, but I want to tell you in person._

_Kyungsoo:_

He let his thumb hover over the text box for a moment, not sure how he was supposed to reply to that. Yixing wanted to see him, and regardless of intellectually knowing that he should’ve blocked him and never replied in the first place, emotionally he wanted to know why he was back and bothering him.

“Soooo,” Baekhyun’s elongation of his nickname could be heard coming closer to his room, and Kyungsoo looked toward his door, anticipating Baekhyun knocking on it then opening it. “Hey, you getting ready? Uh, why is that look on your face?”

“Help,” Kyungsoo told him, holding out his phone so Baekhyun could read the texts.

Baekhyun’s lips turned downward as he realized what he was reading and then his eyebrows raised when he was done.

“Shit,” Baekhyun said, sitting on his bed with him and looking at him. “You should’ve blocked him.”

“Okay, we’re past that part,” Kyungsoo said a little frustrated as he ran his hand through his hair.

“The fact that you didn’t block him means you want to see him too,” Baekhyun then pointed out, and Kyungsoo bit his lip. “If you’re not going to block him, then just meet up with him and find out what he wants.”

“But I shouldn’t, right?” Kyungsoo said, needing answers he did not have. His brain and emotions weren’t aligned on this one.

“We’re past that part,” Baekhyun threw back at him, and Kyungsoo groaned. “I’ll hold your hand if you want, but text him that he can come meet you for coffee on campus tomorrow. It’s neutral territory.”

“I don’t want him coming into my world like that,” Kyungsoo managed to realize just as he said it.

“Then coffee at a neutral place,” Baekhyun shrugged. “Pick a random coffee shop in K-town. You can’t go wrong.”

“My Wednesday schedule sucks,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “Thursday is my lighter schedule. I guess I can do it Thursday.”

“Do it and get it over with,” Baekhyun told him with a pat on the knee. “If he starts talking bullshit, throw your coffee in his face and leave. And then immediately block him after so it’s over.”

Kyungsoo made a whiny sound but took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he texted Yixing back.

_Kyungsoo: Fine. I can meet Thursday around noon._

_Yixing: Thank you. I can’t wait to see you again._

He didn’t bother responding to that sentiment and just sent him the link to a coffee shop in K-town they could meet at.

***

When Thursday arrived, Kyungsoo wasn’t ready, and he wanted to text Yixing and tell him that he suddenly couldn’t go. It’s not like Yixing knew him or what he did anymore. He could come up with anything and make it work.

But his curiosity got the better of him, and instead of texting him to cancel, he was trying to figure out what to wear to see his long-lost ex. Or, whatever he could call him considering Yixing had never allowed them to be actual boyfriends.

He thought about that as he drove to Koreatown. All he had wanted was the same thing that Jongin had with Krystal and that Jongdae had with Wendy. He thought Yixing was the one, but Yixing could never admit that he liked Kyungsoo in the same way. Even after their relationship moved from one stage to the next, even after Kyungsoo had given himself completely to Yixing in hopes that it would turn Yixing’s attitude around on it, even after Kyungsoo told Yixing he loved him in hopes that he would just admit it back, even after everything, Yixing never once gave him what he wanted.

He had no idea why he was meeting him for coffee. He parked and gripped his steering wheel for a moment, mentally knowing he could turn back around and leave. But he was here, and based on Yixing’s last text, he was already inside waiting for him.

Kyungsoo willed himself to get out and confront this situation. He walked inside the small coffee shop and was glad it was a little busy, the activity and sound would hopefully help this from being too awkward. He spotted Yixing as soon as he walked in, just as Yixing spotted him, and Kyungsoo had to pause a moment, to take him in and understand what he was seeing.

As he walked to the high-top wooden table Yixing sat at, there were two things he realized. One, that it really was Yixing sitting there, and two, it was an older and seemingly more mature man than he remembered that sat at the table.

When he reached the table, he stood staring at him, and Yixing did him the favor of saying, “Hi,” first. Kyungsoo nodded then looked to the table to see that he had ordered himself a chai latte. At least that hadn’t seemed to have changed.

Kyungsoo decided to forego getting himself a drink and just sat on the wooden stool across from him. The line was a bit long anyway.

“Why are you back?” Kyungsoo asked him, ready to get down to business, and Yixing gave a small humble smirk at the question, one that gave a hint of a dimple. Yixing had amazing dimples. It was part of what had attracted Kyungsoo so much to him.

“How have you been?” Yixing asked him instead, and Kyungsoo shrugged and said nothing else. He hadn’t earned the right to know anything about him. Yixing seemed to understand this somehow and he nodded and tapped the handle of his cup. “I’m back because I got kicked out of college.”

Of all the things he could have said, that was the last thing Kyungsoo would have ever expected. Yixing wasn’t the type to let his plans get derailed, no matter what the situation.

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand, and he asked, “How did you get kicked out?”

“Things hadn’t been going well for me in Beijing,” he explained, and he cleared his throat a little and took a sip of his drink. “They were fine at first, but then things started getting a little harder to handle. I was put on academic probation and never pulled myself out of it.”

Kyungsoo was so confused. He knew he looked it too, and he said, “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“That’s what my parents said,” Yixing said, with a self-deprecating smile. “I got a bit lost out there. I discovered too late that I missed a lot of what I had left behind.”

This was still confusing, and Kyungsoo just stared at him, waiting for him to say something that would make it all make sense.

“So now you’re back,” Kyungsoo said when Yixing hadn’t offered up anything else. “For good?”

“For now,” Yixing confirmed. “Until I figure things out. I have a lot to figure out. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Are you going to school here?” Kyungsoo then wondered out loud.

Yixing nodded and said, “I transferred everything I could to Loyola. I’m planning to finish things there. I’m only starting with two classes though and working my way up to a full schedule once I feel I have things under control.”

“Loyola,” Kyungsoo said, surprised. Yixing had been accepted to the top university in China, one of the top universities in the whole world even. Loyola was a great school, but it wasn’t of that caliber.

“I was looking for something less intense,” Yixing explained.

Something still wasn’t adding up for Kyungsoo, and he narrowed his eyes as he studied Yixing, hoping for an answer that didn’t require words.

“You’ve never shied away from intense,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

Yixing sighed and scratched the back of his neck, looking at Kyungsoo as if he should have known that Kyungsoo could see through him.

“What’s the real reason you’re back?” Kyungsoo asked him, giving him another chance to be honest before he walked out. “Nothing you’ve said so far makes any sense.”

“Everything I’ve told you is true,” Yixing said, standing his ground, and something about the look he gave Kyungsoo made him think that maybe he had.

“Then what is it that you’re not telling me?” Kyungsoo tried instead. “What are you leaving out? Why were you put on academic probation in the first place?”

Yixing gave him a soft smile, like maybe he was reminded about their past for a moment, but then he looked down as if needing to give his answer thought.

He looked back up at Kyungsoo and then said, “My grades started slipping because I had begun to lose interest in my classes, and I had begun to lose interest in my classes because my interests had moved to something else.” And then Yixing clarified, “To someone else.”

Kyungsoo felt like walking out right then. What even was this? So, he wanted to talk to him again to tell him about how he had found someone in Beijing that apparently was so interesting that he lost complete interest in his hopes and dreams? He suddenly felt annoyed.

“Wow, that must have been an amazing someone else,” Kyungsoo said, sarcastic, bitter.

“He was,” Yixing said, and Kyungsoo’s breath hitched. It had been another man? Yixing’s dreams had included a wife, not a male amazing someone else. Now he was even more confused.

“I thought you were going to find a wife in Beijing,” Kyungsoo said, that bitter tone still strong.

“I was,” Yixing said. “At least I thought I was. But a lot changed while I was there.” Then Yixing clarified, “I changed a lot while I was there.”

“Well I’m glad that he was able to do for you what I couldn’t,” Kyungsoo said, both wanting to get up and leave and run to the bathroom so he could throw up. “Did he move out here with you?”

“No,” Yixing said, his eyes drooping a bit more, as they did when he suddenly felt down. “And… it wasn’t… I was the same with him as I was with you. I took him for granted too, and I wasn’t fair to him, and I didn’t treat him the way I should have.”

Kyungsoo had to let that sink in. He hadn’t expected Yixing to admit he had done anything wrong in their relationship. This was making Kyungsoo feel really off balance.

“So, then you left him,” Kyungsoo surmised. “The way you left me.”

“No,” Yixing said again, and Kyungsoo was tired of nothing making sense. “It was a situation of too little too late. I finally realized that I needed to admit things that I had always been too afraid to admit. First, I had to admit that I was gay.”

Kyungsoo almost stopped breathing, but he didn’t dare interrupt.

“Then I had to admit that I was in love with him, that I loved him, that I wanted to be with him,” Yixing continued, and Kyungsoo knew his eyes were big, but still he stayed silent. “And that meant having to admit that I had been awful to him and that I treated him horribly because I was acting out and didn’t know how to deal with being in the closet.”

Yixing’s face seemed relaxed as he said all this, and it reinforced that he was being honest and that he really had somehow changed. At least in this respect. Kyungsoo couldn’t believe it.

“I’m sorry,” Yixing then said, looking at him with truthful eyes. “I’m so sorry for not being who you needed me to be. You trusted me with everything, you told me you loved me, and I didn’t have the balls to give you the same in return. I’m so sorry.”

Kyungsoo’s lips pursed to the side as he bit the corner of his bottom lip. He never thought this apology would come. He didn’t even think this apology could exist. But there it was. All wrapped up in a nice bow and handed over.

“All I wanted was for you to be my boyfriend and to love me,” Kyungsoo told him.

Yixing closed his eyes, tightly, and nodded, and when he opened them, his eyes seemed to glisten.

“I should have given you that,” Yixing admitted. “It wasn’t until I was in Beijing that I realized that it had been what I really wanted too. But I thought I couldn’t have it. I knew my parents would disown me if they ever found out. So, I never allowed myself to believe I could have it, or that I even wanted it. I convinced myself that I was a straight boy just having some fun with a gay boy.”

Kyungsoo was still stuck on the part where he had really wanted it too, so it made him ask a question that he should have been too afraid to ask, but he figured it didn’t matter now.

“Did you love me?” Kyungsoo watched him, watched his eyes close again, and then watched as he opened them and gave a slow nod.

“I did,” Yixing verbalized. “I couldn’t admit it then, but I can admit it now. I did love you. Or I should say, I was very much in love with you. I can’t say that I loved you because the way I treated you isn’t how you treat someone you love. I want… I wish… I wish we could try again. I want to try again.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes twitched as they tried to comprehend this. He wanted to try again? How? Did they even know each other anymore? Kyungsoo felt like his life had completely changed in the last couple of years since they had last seen each other.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Yixing then said, saving Kyungsoo from having to reply. “I don’t have the right to ask that of you. But I’ve changed a lot, and I keep thinking of how I’d have done things differently, and I want to. I want to be the boyfriend you deserved, and I want to love you the way you deserved, and I want to show you just how much I was, and am, still in love with you.”

Kyungsoo waved his hand, needing Yixing to stop whatever he was doing with those words, and said, “This is crazy. You don’t even know me anymore. And no, you don’t have the right. Not after how you treated me. And what about this other guy? Are you still in love with him too?”

“Yes,” Yixing said, “And I got to tell him that. I told him everything about me and you, and one of the last things he ever told me was that I needed to go back to you and make things right before it was too late.”

“One of the last things?” Kyungsoo asked, not understanding.

“He died in an accident,” Yixing said, and Kyungsoo stared at him, eyes wide, not having expected that.

“I’m so sorry,” Kyungsoo said, concern flooding his face, but unsure of what else to say.

Yixing seemed to need a moment and then said, “It’s why I lost complete interest in school. My grades started tanking after he died. I didn’t care to bring them up at all. I stopped going to school altogether.”

Now everything made so much more sense, and Kyungsoo felt empathy, wanting to reach out to hold Yixing’s hand, but keeping himself from doing so.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo said again, really wishing he could offer something better.

“My parents didn’t understand what had happened,” Yixing continued. Now that the dam had broken, he could let it all out. “They came to Beijing to see what was going on, and I was so distraught that I told them everything. I came out to them, and they… well they disowned me. Like I knew they would. So, I stayed with some friends in Beijing until I could finish grieving and figure out what to do next. And all I kept thinking about was you. How I needed to come home and start over. With myself, with my life, with you…”

Kyungsoo shook his head, and Yixing looked at him in a way where it seemed he was steeling himself for the worst.

“I’ve changed a lot too,” Kyungsoo told him. “Things are very different now. I’m in college, I’m working on my acting career, and I’m seeing someone.” Yixing looked surprised to hear that part, and Kyungsoo added, “I’m very happy right now.”

“That’s good,” Yixing said, though he looked disappointed. “I’m happy that you’re happy. You should be happy.”

“You really hurt me,” Kyungsoo then told him, since they were being honest. “In ways that I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from.”

Yixing shook his head and looked apologetic, but he said, “I’m so sorry,” anyway.

“You were my first love,” Kyungsoo continued on because it appeared that he had simply been waiting for the day that he could tell him these things. “I lost my virginity to you. I trusted you and gave you everything I had, and you couldn’t even return a single percentage of it.”

“I know,” Yixing said, his face seemed pained at the memory. “I was scared. I didn’t know how to be like you. I admired how open you were about it, and how willing you were to throw yourself fully into a relationship. I’ve been working on being more like that. I _am_ more like that now.”

“That’s good,” Kyungsoo told him, meaning it, “But it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m sorry that you went through losing someone you loved. That shouldn’t happen to anyone. But I need you to understand, that the moment you left me the way you did, you broke me. And once I was able to recover from that, that was the moment I stopped caring about you. And I am never going to give you another chance.”

“Soo…” Yixing looked ready to plead his case, and Kyungsoo stopped him.

“No, I’m sorry, but things are very different now, and the thing I most learned from our relationship was that I wanted something so bad that I was willing to accept less than I deserved,” Kyungsoo told him, not holding back. “That’s a mistake I don’t make anymore.”

Yixing stared at him, letting this sink in, Kyungsoo supposed, and then he nodded and said, “I understand. I did this to myself, and I will accept the consequences of it. But it won’t change that I still think we should try things again.”

There he was. The persistent Yixing who never gave up on anything. Kyungsoo had wondered how long it would take for that side to come out.

“It’s not going to happen,” Kyungsoo reiterated.

“I won’t push it,” Yixing said. “I’m glad that you’re happy. It’s definitely what you deserve. But I want to prove to you that I can make you happy too. I can wait though. I have a lot I need to figure out about my own life right now anyway.”

Kyungsoo did narrow his eyes a bit, remembering what he had told him about his parents. He asked him, “When you say your parents disowned you, do you mean like completely?”

“Yeah,” Yixing said, picking up his drink to finish it off, almost like he wished it had been a shot of tequila instead. “They cut me off, haven’t talked to me, won’t let me visit them. My grandparents still live in China, and they were nicer about it and tried to help me out a little. They’re the ones that bought my plane ticket back home for me.”

“How could they just disown you though?” Kyungsoo said, not able to understand. “You’re their only child. Like, you’d think they’d try and understand so they don’t lose you.”

“Not all of us were blessed with parents as cool as yours,” Yixing shrugged. “The good thing is that going to college abroad prepared me for living on my own, so I’m pretty okay. I got a temp job doing data entry to make some money, and I’m renting out a room in West LA, near the job and near the Loyola campus. It’s a bit of a struggle, but I’m up for the challenge.”

It made Kyungsoo smile a little to hear him say that, and he hated himself after for giving Yixing any sign of hope. But he couldn’t help it. It was nice that the good parts of Yixing were still very much in him. And if he had gotten rid of the bad parts, then even better.

“If anyone can make this work, it’s you,” Kyungsoo assured him.

“I hope you’re right,” Yixing told him, giving him a little smile back. “Can I ask you about you now? I’ve been curious to know how you’ve been doing. I’ve asked Amber for updates, but she said she doesn’t see you guys as much since Jongin and Krystal broke up.”

“I haven’t seen Amber in a long time,” Kyungsoo confirmed.

“So you’re no longer part of the scene?” Yixing asked, though not in a way where he was surprised.

Kyungsoo hadn’t even thought of the scene since Yixing had abandoned him. It was so intertwined with Yixing, that it didn’t even occur to him to keep going to any of the clubs and hangouts they frequented both in LA and the OC.

“I was only a part of it because of you,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “There was no point in going once you were gone.”

“Ironic,” Yixing said. “Considering you were the one that was out, and I was the one in the closet.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said. It was very amusing at least.

“So, you have a boyfriend…” Yixing brought up.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, even though they hadn’t given each other labels yet. But compared to what Kyungsoo had gone through with Yixing, Taeyong felt more like what a boyfriend probably should have been, so he didn’t bother to correct him. “We’ve been seeing each other for about five months now.”

“Wow,” Yixing said, and his eyes may have looked a little disappointed. Good. “Does he go to school with you? Amber said you’re at USC.”

“I am,” Kyungsoo confirmed, “And no. He’s a dancer. Jongin set us up on a blind date.”

“He must be a really good guy then,” Yixing said with a soft smile. “Jongin was always looking out for you. I guess he still is.”

“He has good instincts,” Kyungsoo said, knowing that Yixing would flinch before he did. Jongin hated Yixing, and Yixing knew it.

“You said you were working on your acting career,” Yixing shifted the subject, smartly straying from Jongin. “How’s that going?”

“It’s off to a good start,” Kyungsoo told him, now wishing he had gotten a coffee or something to work on since they were still talking. Instead he just held his hands in his lap, letting his fingers play with each other. “I shot an indie movie over the summer.”

“No way,” Yixing said, his lazy eyes lighting up, “That’s great. When does it come out?”

“It’s going to festivals next year,” Kyungsoo answered, feeling a certain fondness at seeing Yixing excited for him. “We’ll see what happens after that.”

“Keep me updated,” Yixing told him, “I want to see it.”

“I’ll send you a text,” Kyungsoo told him, hoping that he got to send out the group text of his dreams to everyone letting them know that they could go to an actual theater and see it.

Kyungsoo then pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the time and held it up as he said, “I have to head back to campus. I have a class.”

“Okay,” Yixing nodded, but he looked worried and asked, “We can do this again, right? Keep hanging out? Like… work on being friends again?”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said as he slid off the stool and put his phone back in his pocket. “I have to think about this.”

“Okay,” Yixing said, watching him. “No pressure. You have my number.”

“I do,” Kyungsoo affirmed, and he looked at Yixing for a moment, hating that he missed looking at him after he swore that he never wanted to see him again. And then he put his hand up to say “bye” and left before anything else could happen that would make him stay longer.

Though he made it back to campus in time for class, it was useless since all he could think about was his conversation with Yixing as the professor spoke. Most of the meeting had shocked him, and a lot kept replaying in his mind—how calm and honest Yixing had been as he spoke, how much it did appear he had changed, Yixing admitting he was gay, Yixing admitting that he was still in love with him. Kyungsoo was going to go crazy thinking about it.

After class, he went to get a bite to eat since he was now starving. It occurred to him after he had left the coffee shop that he should have grabbed something for the road, but since he hadn’t, he ended up at the campus center to get some food and a cucumber mint lemonade from Lemonade. He sat at a table waiting for his food and texted the Jongas Brothers.

_Kyungsoo: I met with Yixing today._

He knew he was going to be met with outrage, but he didn’t even care right now. What he needed was to be calmed down first and then to be given advice.

_Jongin: Why?!_

_Jongdae: Shit, let me fake an emergency to get out of this class. Hold tight._

_Kyungsoo: I’m at Lemonade if you want to smack me in person then hug me and tell me everything’s fine._

_Jongdae: OMW_

_Jongin: Why did you meet with him? Why?!_

_Kyungsoo: Because I’m the textbook definition of curiosity killed the cat._

_Jongin: Are you okay? What happened?_

_Kyungsoo: I’m okay. We talked._

_Jongin: Why is he back?_

_Kyungsoo: He got kicked out of his college, ended up coming out to his parents, and they disowned him. He’s going to Loyola this semester and renting out a room in West LA while working a data entry job to pay the rent._

_Jongin: What the hell?_

_Kyungsoo: I know. The whole thing is surreal. He says he’s changed, and I … kinda believe him._

_Jongin: No, you don’t. People don’t change. I mean, they can change, but they really don’t._

_Kyungsoo: He came out though. He admitted he was gay. He actually said that._

_Jongin: Holy shit._

_Kyungsoo: And then he admitted he was in love with me. And then he said he was still in love with me._

_Jongin: What?!_

_Jongdae: What?!_

_Kyungsoo: I know. My head is all over the place._

_Jongdae: I’m power walking!_

_Jongin: Okay, stay calm, Soo. I can imagine this would trip you out a bit. But just remember that having him in your life wasn’t a great thing, and your life right now is good, so do you really want that back in your life when you’ve moved on from it?_

_Jongdae: What Nini said._

That was a really good question, and Kyungsoo thought he knew the answer to it. At least before he had met up with Yixing he had known. But now… who knew? Yixing was out. Yixing had given him one thing that he always wanted: he had admitted that he was in love with him. What if they could try it again and this time it could be better?

_Kyungsoo: I think he’s lonely. Since his parents disowned him, he doesn’t really have anyone._

_Jongin: Okay, that really sucks that his parents disowned him, but that has nothing to do with you. It’s not your problem. You can’t forget what he put you through._

_Kyungsoo: But that was before._

_Jongin: You don’t have any real evidence that he’s changed. All you have is his word._

_Kyungsoo: So I should hang out with him and be his friend first?_

_Jongin: You shouldn’t hang out with him at all. You should block him. You don’t need him in your life._

Kyungsoo knew that was true too. Obviously, he didn’t need him. Obviously.

_Jongin: You have someone now. Aren’t you happy with Taeyong?_

Yeah, but it wasn’t the same thing. At least not yet. He was sure they’d get there, but it wasn’t like sparks or anything had flown at their blind date. It was comfortable, whereas Yixing had been exciting. But then again, they had been in high school, and maybe their hormones had played into it. Except that he had felt that way when he hung out with Chanyeol…

_Jongin: Soo?_

_Jongdae: Almost there!_

_Kyungsoo: Yeah, but it’s different._

If he couldn’t be honest with his friends, then who could he be honest with? They wouldn’t understand. They got to have their Yixings and their Yixings had reciprocated. Now his was reciprocating. Finally.

_Jongin: Different in that Taeyong treats you better? Of course it’s different._

_Jongdae: At the center! Running in!_

_Kyungsoo: Just different._

_Jongin: Listen, I get it. I do. But again, no one changes completely. Him reaching out to you like this sounds just as selfish as he’s always been. He had no right to disrupt your life all of a sudden._

Kyungsoo bit his lip at the idea of what Jongin was saying and then felt a smack on the back of his head.

“The hell…” Kyungsoo said, and then he looked over to see Jongdae leaning in to give him a hug.

“Why didn’t you block him?” Jongdae said, giving him a squeeze and then dropping his backpack on the chair and sitting across from him.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Kyungsoo said, and it didn’t, but he knew that he never removed it because he didn’t want to remove the reminder to not make the same mistake again. It’s why he hadn’t continued to experiment with Chanyeol—this reminder, that suddenly came back to life in a new form. Now the reminder had evolved into something else. Maybe a second chance instead.

_Jongdae: I’m here. I’m with him. I smacked him and hugged him. I’ll let you know how this goes._

_Jongin: Save him, Dae._

Kyungsoo snorted at the texts and then heard his order number called, having forgotten he had ordered food in the first place. He went up to get it then sat back down and ate as he waited for Jongdae to say the right words to him. If anything, he knew he could count on Dae to help things make sense.

“So tell me about this meeting,” Jongdae said.

Kyungsoo told him all the details in between bites of his food, and Jongdae listened, making all the appropriate faces and remarks along the way.

And then Jongdae shook his head and made a small whiny noise, then said, “This is so annoying.”

“It’s confusing,” Kyungsoo clarified.

“No, it’s annoying,” Jongdae re-stated his sentiment. “Everything was fine, and now he’s come back, and it makes sense why he came back. I feel bad for the guy. I do. And that sucks that his boyfriend died, but Jongin’s right that he’s being selfish by thinking he can fix all his problems by getting you back. He needs to fix his shit first, and then you guys can start having that conversation. But until then, he’s just going to use you as a crutch.”

“So I should just be his friend then?” Kyungsoo reasoned.

“Why would you want to be?” Jongdae asked him, not judging, but saying it in a way where he wanted Kyungsoo to really think about it.

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said, but he thought about how lonely Yixing must feel, and again about how he told him he was still in love with him. “I just feel he probably needs a friend right now.”

“He still has Amber, right?” Jongdae pointed out.

Kyungsoo’s lips twitched to the side, and he said, “Yeah.”

“Then he’s not alone, and he has a friend to help him through things,” Jongdae said, “A friend who he has never emotionally manipulated, and a friend who can be real with him because there is nothing else between them that would cloud the relationship.”

Kyungsoo knew Jongdae was right, and he wanted to cry. He didn’t though, moping instead as he ate his food, then dropping his fork and leaning forward to put his elbow on the table, letting his head lean against his hand in dismay.

“It’s okay, Soo,” Jongdae said, reaching out to pass a calming hand over his forearm.

“So, finally, I have someone who’s in love with me, and I can’t have him because he told me too late,” Kyungsoo said, feeling once again that nothing in his love life would ever be fair.

“No,” Jongdae said, “First of all, it’s not finally. Yixing was obviously in love with you back then. He just never showed it, but it was obvious, otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept screwing around with you. And you deserve better now. So now you have Taeyong, and maybe it’s not there yet, but you have to let it get there.”

“With Yixing, I knew early on,” Kyungsoo pointed out, dropping his arm to look straight at Jongdae again.

“It happens that way sometimes,” Jongdae said with an understanding smile. “With Wendy, I knew early on that I was really into her. With Lisa, I thought she was cute, but I didn’t know her well enough yet to know if I’d be into her the same way. The more I got to know her, the more I found I was getting into her but in a completely different way. No two relationships are ever the same.”

“Chanyeol felt the same as Yixing,” Kyungsoo then pointed out. “It’s why I stopped it. It felt exactly the same.”

Jongdae lost his smile and looked at him, concerned maybe, and pensive. “I still stand by what I said,” Jongdae then said, looking as if he had to think through it, “Maybe it felt similar, but it wouldn’t have been the same. The situations felt similar, but Yixing and Chanyeol are two different people.”

“Yixing left to go to college, find a wife, get married, start a family, be successful,” Kyungsoo rattled off. “Chanyeol went and got a girlfriend, probably in hopes of marrying her, so that one day he too could start a family while being successful.”

“What are you trying to make yourself believe here?” Jongdae asked him, remaining patient with him. “Do you want to believe that Yixing is your meant to be and this is your second chance? Why do you want to believe that? Is it because you’re still in love with him too?”

Is that what it was? He had hated Yixing when he left, vowed to never fall into the same trap, but he hadn’t deleted his number, he hadn’t blocked him, he hadn’t avoided texting him back when he had texted him back after all this time.

“If you are,” Jongdae said, “Then Yixing being back is the least of your problems. Because if you are, then you need to ask yourself why you would still be in love with someone who treated you the way he did. He didn’t respect you, he didn’t show you the love you deserved, he made you angry a lot, and he made you cry even more. So why would you still be in love with someone like that?”

Kyungsoo hated when Jongdae was this insightful. And he struggled for a moment to verbalize the reason, but the best he could do was, “You don’t understand the way he made me feel. When we were together and everything was good, the emotions I felt toward him, the emotions he showed me toward me… it was the most amazing feeling in the world. And I’ve missed it. I’ve never felt that again once he was gone.”

“Fair,” Jongdae said, appearing to understand, “But you want to know something funny about that too? I felt the same way about Wendy the first time. Now I’m married to her, and it’s not there. Not even a little. If you got back with Yixing, I don’t think you’re going to find what you’re looking for. And as much as I don’t want to admit it, I think it’s because all those feelings that you’re looking for are already happening, but they’ve been happening with someone else.”

“I don’t have those feelings when I’m with Taeyong,” Kyungsoo pointed out again.

“I meant Chanyeol,” Jongdae said, blunt, too aware, and Kyungsoo went silent.

Yeah. Yeah, they had. But he had denied the opportunity to Chanyeol before it could really start. So now what?

“If you want my personal advice,” Jongdae said, knowing Kyungsoo had nothing to say, “I think you should let Yixing figure some things out on his own for a bit. And maybe down the line, you guys can be friends or something again if you really feel you need him back in your life. But I don’t think dating each other is going to be what either of you wants it to be.”

Kyungsoo knew Jongdae was right. He knew it deep within his heart and in his gut. But he still hated it. He didn’t even know why he hated it so much, he just did. But he thanked him anyway and told him that he had a lot to think about.

Jongdae walked with Kyungsoo to his next class and gave Kyungsoo a hug and wave goodbye before heading home since he was done with his classes for the day. Kyungsoo entered his Movement class, grateful for it, knowing that getting to work on his physical acting for the next two hours was exactly what he needed right now to relieve all the tension, stress, and frustration he felt about Yixing being back in his life.


	7. Chapter 7

Jongin knew he was being a terrible uncle to Hannah, and an even worse friend to Jongdae, by not visiting as much as he wanted to, but his schedule had been packed with modeling shoots, business meetings with Summer Kyle and her people, and masterclasses that he couldn’t miss.

He didn’t get to visit her until the weekend, back home in the OC. Even though he had moved into his own place in LA, his family expected him to come down for the weekend anyway, as if nothing had changed. And really nothing had. The only difference was that instead of crashing at people’s places during the week, he had his own bed and space to go to.

The weekend arrangement that Jongdae and Wendy had made was for Wendy to stay at her parents’ place, and Jongdae to stay at his, but it seemed like Jongdae had changed his mind because Jongin had been told to meet him at Wendy’s, which he had never been to before, so he relied on his GPS to get him there.

When Jongin arrived, he was greeted at the door by Jongdae, since he had texted him to let him know he had parked.

“Hannah just woke up. Good timing,” Jongdae told him as he let him in.

Jongin walked in and noticed Wendy and Seulgi on the couch in the living room. “Bad timing more like,” he mumbled under his breath, and Jongdae snorted.

“You’re saving me right now,” Jongdae confessed, and he led him over to where Wendy was holding Hannah as Seulgi babbled to her in baby language. “Look who’s here, Hans,” Jongdae then said in an unnecessarily cute voice. “It’s Uncle Nini.”

“She’s so much bigger than the last time I saw her,” Jongin cooed, smiling wide as he sat by Wendy to look at her too. The little girl’s eyes shifted toward him, which made Jongin coo some more and ask her how she was doing.

He was good at this. He had learned that when his niece and nephew had been born, and every time he met a new baby, it reinforced his own desires to one day have kids of his own. He wanted a lot, which Krystal had known, but it wasn’t something that had ever come up in conversation with him and Jennie. Nor did it have to, but sometimes he did wonder if she wanted a lot of kids too or wanted her future family to be as small as her own.

“She’s already grown out of some of the baby shower stuff,” Jongdae pointed out. “I tried to put a onesie on her this morning and could barely get her leg in it.”

Jongin noticed how proud Jongdae was about this, and he didn’t blame him. Hannah seemed to be growing healthy and strong.

“Lucky for her,” Seulgi then said, “she’s got a ton of clothes already for all her sizes to come.”

“She’ll never wear it all,” Wendy commented, and Jongin chuckled.

“She will,” Jongin let her know. “Trust me. You think you have enough clothes, but you don’t. My niece would go through so many outfits a day once my sister started taking her out of the house more.”

Wendy didn’t say anything, which Jongin anticipated, but he was doing his best to be nice. It hadn’t been lost on Jongin that Wendy’s mood had continued to deflate as time went on. It had started from the moment they had made things official at the courthouse, and then even more so as the months went on and she was closer to giving birth.

She tended to seem fine when she was with Hannah, but whenever other people were around, she seemed to grow quiet again, not at all exhibiting the behavior of the happy, peppy, bright-eyed girl she used to be. And Jongin knew that Jongdae was trying. In a conversation they had over the phone one night, Jongdae had mentioned to him that he had looked up the symptoms of postpartum depression just in case, but they hadn’t applied exactly.

Apparently, Jongdae had even discussed it with his own mom, and she agreed that it didn’t seem to be that. It seemed that Wendy just didn’t know how to react to anything, so she didn’t bother reacting at all. But luckily, she did react to Hannah, and when Hannah gave a little hiccup in her arms, Wendy chuckled and leaned down to give her a little kiss on her forehead.

Jongin asked Wendy if he could hold her for a little bit, anticipating her not letting him, but she nodded and handed the little girl over, and Jongin beamed, thanking her, and then taking the tiny baby into his arms and feeling warm as he held her.

“How are you so perfect, Hannah?” Jongin asked her, and Hannah’s eyes seemed to focus in on him, paying attention. “You are so smart already. I can tell. I can’t wait for you to be a little older so you can run around with my niece and nephew. They’re going to love you so much and you’ll be like their little sister.”

Jongdae snickered and gave him a thumbs up to let him know he was doing well.

“She really likes you,” Seulgi pointed out, and Jongin beamed.

“It’s because kids know he’s on their same level,” Jongdae teased. “Jongin hasn’t developed past six.”

“I’m seven now,” Jongin played along, making excited faces at Hannah who furrowed her brows as if trying to understand what she was seeing. “How is she enjoying her long drives between here and campus?”

“She loves them,” Jongdae said with a big grin. “She sleeps the whole way.”

“I wish I was your age again,” Jongin told the baby. “I love sleeping too. I don’t get to sleep enough anymore and it’s the worst. Let’s trade places.”

“Sorry, you’re too big for the bassinet,” Jongdae said.

“Do you want to rest a bit?” Seulgi asked Wendy, looking a little concerned.

“No,” Wendy said, and she seemed a bit annoyed by the question. “I don’t need to rest.”

“Wanna go for a walk then?” Seulgi tried. “The boys seem to have this under control.”

Wendy shrugged and got up, and Seulgi got up as well, telling them they’d be back in a few.

Jongdae sat in Wendy’s newly vacated spot and asked Hannah to blink twice if she needed to be taken away from Uncle Nini. Under normal circumstances, Jongin would’ve bopped him, but he chuckled and watched her to make sure she didn’t blink twice.

“So I see the Wendy thing isn’t getting much better,” Jongin then mentioned, as he continued to make different faces for Hannah.

“Not at all,” Jongdae said, sighing. “I think maybe it was a mistake to force her to move up to campus instead of her staying here with her support group.”

“Doesn’t her mom come up though?” Jongin asked, glancing at him.

“Mom isn’t the same as friends, or peers, or likeminded individuals,” Jongdae pointed out, and Jongin knew that was very true. “There’s no real way for her to make friends up there, and the other people in our apartment complex either don’t have kids or have kids that are a bit older than Hans. I think I’m going to talk to her about it this weekend and ask if she’d rather stay here.”

“That’s going to suck,” Jongin acknowledged. “For you.”

“I’ll make it work,” Jongdae shrugged. “It’ll be hard this semester, but next semester I can set up my schedule to accommodate it better. I want to do whatever I can to help.”

“Your dad is such a good little man,” Jongin told Hannah, and Jongdae made a noise that was part scoff, part laugh. And then Jongin switched the topic as something came to mind, “Wait, so is Soo not coming down this weekend at all?”

“Nope,” Jongdae said. “He has a fancy dinner thing he has to attend tonight with the frat, and then tomorrow is Bid Day, so they find out if they got in.”

“I can’t believe out of all of us, Kyungsoo is the one that’s going to be a frat boy,” Jongin said, eyes wide.

“I know,” Jongdae said, cackling, which made Hannah look in her dad’s direction. “I never thought any of us would be in a frat.”

“I thought you would be,” Jongin then said, having had this thought before. “You have the personality for it. You’re easygoing, get along with people really well, and always like having a good time.”

“I had considered it,” Jongdae admitted. “When Soo brought it up last semester, I told him I’d go along and check it out. But life had other plans.”

“Yeah, it sure did,” Jongin said, shaking his head as he thought about all the things that had happened this year that he hadn’t anticipated. “Like Kyungsoo joining a frat, and Yixing popping back up out of nowhere.”

“The Yixing thing is so annoying,” Jongdae agreed, “And I still don’t know what Soo’s going to do about it. He hasn’t brought it up again since that day. I wish Taeyong had done it for him, then this wouldn’t even be an issue.”

Jongin wished that too. He had thought Kyungsoo would have fallen for Taeyong by now, but Kyungsoo’s filming over the summer had messed up their rhythm, so they didn’t get the chance to move things along as much as they should have.

Oddly, thinking about Taeyong led Jongin to thinking about Lisa’s birthday party when Kyungsoo had brought Taeyong as his date, and it made Jongin remember that he needed to ask Jongdae about his own birthday.

“You’re turning 20 in like a few weeks,” Jongin pointed out, “What are we doing for it?”

“Nothing?” Jongdae said, looking at him with no clue. “Ordering pizza and playing with Hans?”

“You’re not that kind of dad yet,” Jongin said. “You’re too young to be that kind of dad. It’s your big 2-0. You need to go hard. Or something.”

Jongdae laughed and shook his head, “I think I am that kind of dad now. That frat party I went to with Soo taught me that. I had the worst hangover the next morning.”

“Sounds fake,” Jongin said, not taking that for an answer at all. “I could have Jennie throw you a party, you know?”

Jongdae laughed loudly again, and Jongin looked at Hannah whose eyes went wide at the noise.

“I agree, Hannah,” Jongin told her, but then he focused back on her dad. “But if not, we can still plan something really fun.”

“I kind of want to spend it just chilling with Hannah,” Jongdae then said, scrunching his cheeks so his eyes became small. “It’s my first birthday with her in it, and my first birthday as a dad. I want her to be part of it.”

“Why are you so domestic?” Jongin complained. “Where did you hide my best friend?”

Jongdae chuckled, then said, “The day of, I want to be with my daughter. But the day after, we can go do dinner or something.”

“What about we take over a _noraebang_?” Jongin suggested.

“Sounds awesome,” Jongdae agreed. “Just us three?”

“If you want, or if you want to invite more people,” Jongin told him with a smile. “It’s your party.”

“I want to invite Baek,” Jongdae said, “Aaand, Chanyeol.”

Jongin did not hear him correctly, and he said, “Excuse me?”

“I know you hate the guy,” Jongdae placated, “But he’s nice, and he’s been coming over to visit me and Hannah sometimes, which I wasn’t expecting at all.”

Jongin frowned, not having expected that either. “Fine,” he conceded, “Chanyeol. Anyone else?”

“Taeyong,” Jongdae said, “I mean, we can make it plus one. You know how I am, the more the merrier. I don’t know if Jennie would want to come because of Lisa, but if you want to bring her, and she wants to come, she’s invited.”

Jongin smiled at that and let him know, “She’ll definitely come if invited. Should we go ahead and invite Jisoo and Rosé too? Everyone but Lisa?”

“I don’t want to make Lisa uncomfortable about it,” Jongdae said, “Jennie is with you, so that one makes sense. We’ll leave it at that.”

“Okay,” and then Jongin figured he’d just ask, “What about Wendy?”

“I’ll invite her,” Jongdae said, “But I know she won’t come. But I want her to know that I’d want her there, or that she’s invited, or something like that. She’ll use the baby as an excuse. Well, no, she’ll just look at me like I’m crazy for even asking her and then go to her room. But I’ll invite her anyway.”

“Maybe invite Seulgi too, or Joy, or whoever,” Jongin suggested, and Jongdae said he’d try that since it didn’t hurt to, even though he knew the result would be the same.

Once Wendy and Seulgi returned, Jongin handed Hannah back over to Wendy so she could feed her, and Jongin debated doing the inviting on behalf of Jongdae right at that moment. Jongdae had to deal with enough, so he probably shouldn’t have to add this to the many stilted conversations he’d try to have with her.

“So, hey,” Jongin said, now sitting on the smaller sofa to the side to give Wendy her space and privacy while feeding, “Jongdae’s birthday is in a few weeks, and we were thinking of doing a _noraebang_ for it. You guys are more than invited if you wanted to come.”

Wendy closed her eyes, and Seulgi looked over at her and then at Jongin.

Jongdae just looked at them with a smile and then added, “It’ll be fun.”

“Obviously,” Wendy said, “I can’t go if you’re gone, since one of us would have to take care of Hannah.”

“We can give advanced warning to your and Jongdae’s parents to cover,” Jongin said. “I’m sure at least one of them wouldn’t mind babysitting for a few hours.”

“I’m fine,” Wendy said, “You guys can go have fun.”

“But you should have fun too,” Jongdae told her. “I want you to have fun.”

“I’m having fun. Can’t you tell?” Wendy smarted, and Jongin’s eyes went a little wide. To be fair, so did Seulgi’s.

“No,” Jongdae said, looking at her with a level stare, “I can’t. You don’t seem to be having any fun at all.”

Wendy said nothing to this and looked back down at Hannah, watching her feed.

“Okay,” Jongdae then said, “I was going to bring this up later, but I’ll just bring it up now. I get it. I know you’re not happy with this whole situation, and I know that you having to move up to be near my campus probably didn’t help matters. I’m sorry that I thought it would be a good idea, but it’s clear now that it wasn’t.”

Wendy looked at him, maybe a little surprised by this, and Jongdae continued.

“I get it. You’re far from home. You’re far from your parents, and friends, and support system. So, why don’t you just stay here instead? I’ll drive down every day after class and stay over on the couch, then leave each morning. I made it so I didn’t have a Friday class, so it’s only four days that I’d have to do that. And then next semester, I’ll try and work out my schedule so that I don’t have Monday classes either. How does that sound?”

Wendy looked confused by this, but Jongin thought she should’ve looked grateful. Jongdae was trying everything he could to make all of this work, and she had yet to help him out. But then she nodded at him and said, “Okay,” and Jongdae looked relieved and said, “Okay” back with a smile.

When Wendy wrapped up Hannah’s feeding, she left to go put Hannah in her bassinet since the little girl had decided she wanted a post-meal nap. Once Wendy was gone, Jongin felt as if the tension in the room had lifted, which was amazing considering Seulgi was still there.

“That was really nice of you,” Seulgi said to Jongdae, and Jongin was surprised that a compliment had come from her.

“No, I should’ve thought this through better before,” Jongdae said, shaking his head. “Obviously it was stupid to take her away from all her people. I just thought it would help with our relationship, but I was overreaching.”

“I don’t think you were,” Jongin offered, hating to see Jongdae beat himself up for trying to do the right thing.

“I don’t think so either,” Seulgi said, which surprised Jongin again. “Honestly, I was so prepared to hate you even more through all of this, and instead you’ve been… great.”

Jongdae shook his head, but Jongin nodded with a big smile and said, “Told you.”

“Yeah yeah,” Seulgi said as she waved him off. “When I’m wrong, I say I’m wrong. You’ve stepped up in ways I wasn’t expecting, and Wendy… hasn’t. Every time I try and talk to her about it, she just says that her only focus is on being a good mother. Every time I ask her why she’s limiting herself to that, she doesn’t answer. It’s almost like she thinks this is her punishment for getting knocked up.”

“It’s not a punishment though,” Jongdae said, “I wish she’d understand that. Hannah is amazing. If anything, we were rewarded for screwing up.”

“Aww,” Jongin said, kind of making fun of him, but kind of not.

“Twisted, but true,” Seulgi nodded.

Wendy’s mother came into the living room and asked them if they wanted anything to drink or eat.

“No, we’re good,” Jongdae told her. “And I can get stuff to drink and eat for us,” he added, “you don’t have to offer. I mean, unless you don’t want me in your fridge.”

“This is your home too,” she assured him, “but still, if there’s something you can’t find or need anything else, just let me know.”

“Thank you,” Jongdae said, and then he seemed to debate something then said, “By the way, Wendy’s going to stay here from now on. I think being so far away from you guys and her friends wasn’t helping her… like her psyche or mood, so I asked her if she’d rather stay, and I’ll just come over each day after school. She said, ‘okay,’ so is it okay if I, well, effectively move in? I can sleep on the couch and keep a bag in the corner and stuff.”

Wendy’s mom looked surprised by this and seemed to need a moment to digest it, but then she said, “Of course. This is your home. Our office used to be a guest room, so we can convert it back into one.”

“No,” Jongdae said, shaking his head, “You don’t have to. The couch is really fine. I can make it work.”

“I wouldn’t make you do that,” she said. “Also, I feel your parents wouldn’t care for that either. We’ll convert the office.”

Jongdae looked disappointed, and Jongin decided that he might as well ask about the babysitting on Jongdae’s behalf to help him have one less conversation again.

“By the way,” Jongin said to her mother, “Jongdae wants to spend his birthday with Hannah, but he said the day after we can treat him to a real birthday. We invited Wendy and Seulgi both to come do _noraebang_ with us for his birthday, but for them to come, someone would need to babysit Hannah, but then Wendy said she wouldn’t go so I guess it doesn’t matter, but it seems like she might need a little break too.”

“Oh,” Wendy’s mother said, and then she looked curious, “Are there _noraebangs_ that allow minors?”

Shit. Jongin hadn’t thought this through, and he quickly improvised.

“Yeah, not many, but we know a couple that we used to go to in high school,” Jongin lied with an innocent smile.

“Oh, how nice,” she said, nodding at him and smiling back. “I definitely think Wendy needs to go out and remember that she’s young. And she loves singing.”

“That’s why I wanted her to come,” Jongdae said, looking excited that she understood. “I bet she misses singing.”

“Yes, I bet she does,” her mother agreed. “I’m more than happy to babysit. I’ll talk to her about going.”

“Thanks,” Jongin, and then Jongdae, said.

Once Wendy’s mother had left them alone again, Seulgi gave Jongin a look and said, “We don’t have fake IDs.”

“You won’t need one,” Jongin waved off. “I’ll take care of all the details. You just get your girl to come along.”

“You should’ve told her we were going to dinner,” Jongdae then said to Jongin. “You almost got us in trouble.”

“I didn’t even think of it,” Jongin told him, with an apologetic look. “I thought it sounded so innocent.”

“Luckily it sounded innocent enough coming from you,” Jongdae told him.

At least there was that. But Jongin hoped that Wendy did come around for Jongdae’s sake. He was trying so hard, and the more his efforts backfired, the more difficult it was going to be for him to keep up the energy to keep trying.

***

On Sunday, Jongin had the chance to discuss the _noraebang_ party with Jennie at her parents’ country club. Luckily, he evaded golf this time, having come up with a brilliant excuse as to why he’d be running too late to join and letting them know he’d only make it for lunch. After lunch, Jennie’s father became involved in a lively debate with his golfing buddies, and Jennie’s mother disappeared to the spa.

Jongin and Jennie snuck away to one of the parlors where they could sit in peace by the fireplace and chat, far away from her parents and their fellow snooty country club members.

“So Jongdae’s birthday,” Jongin said, loving how Jennie instantly lit up at the conversation piece, “Can we pull off a _noraebang_ where no one gets carded?”

“Of course,” Jennie said with a big smile. “That’s going to be so fun.”

“Not like Baek’s though,” Jongin explained, “This is just a standard, normal _noraebang_ in K-town, or the OC, or wherever. Actually no, it’ll have to be the OC. Wendy’s going to be staying at her parents’ house instead of with Jongdae on campus.”

“She is?” Jennie said, concern crossing her face, “Why?”

“Because she’s still being annoying about the whole thing, and Jongdae is doing everything he can to accommodate her,” Jongin said, and he knew he was being harsh, but he was genuinely upset for Jongdae.

“That’s upsetting,” Jennie seemed to agree. “Jongdae is the best husband in the world. She should realize it.”

“Agreed,” Jongin said, and then he saw his phone light up with a notification from the Jongas Brothers chat.

_Kyungsoo: Baek and I are officially Lambda Chi Alphas. Pray for us. Pray for our livers._

He sent along a selfie of him and Baekhyun holding up their bid cards with their fraternity name on them, and Jongin didn’t bother to stifle the snort and laugh that came from seeing it.

“What is it?” Jennie said, excited to be amused as well.

_Jongin: I’m dying. I can’t stop laughing. I can’t believe you two idiots went through with this. Good luck, dumbasses!_

Jongin laughed some more, then calmed down enough so that it turned into a chuckle. He showed Jennie his phone, and Jennie clapped.

“I’m so happy for them,” she said with no irony whatsoever.

“Babe,” Jongin said, looking at her fondly for her naivete, “Baek and Soo have no business being in a frat. Baek’s not even going to finish college. He’s dropping out as soon as he gets his band together. And Soo is the most cynical person on the planet. He’s going to judge every member of this frat and every event they do for the entire time he’s in it.”

Jennie didn’t lose her smile and instead stood her ground. “Whatever, I’m happy for them, and I think they’re perfect for their frat. I wish the frat boys at my school were more like them.”

“Literally no frat boy anywhere in the country is like them,” Jongin said cracking up again. “They’re not supposed to be in one.”

“Well it seems that Lambda Chi Alpha doesn’t agree with you,” Jennie pointed out.

“Or Lambda Chi Alpha has no self-preservation,” Jongin teased. “I’m betting on the latter.”

_Jongdae: Congrats! I can’t believe my besties are frat boys! I’m so proud. I hope they make you do an elephant walk! asdfghjkl!_

Jongin furrowed his brows and asked, mostly to himself, “What’s an elephant walk?”

“Oh my God,” Jennie said, and now it was her turn to laugh, “Are they making them do one already?”

“I don’t think so? Jongdae said that he hopes they make them do one.” Whatever it was that he conveyed by telling her that made her laugh even harder. “What is it?” Jongin said, now really needing to know.

_Kyungsoo: Wait, what’s an elephant walk?_

“Kyungsoo doesn’t know either,” Jongin told her, and now Jennie had to fight for breath. “Oh my God, tell me,” Jongin said, feeling stressed about it as he started laughing along.

_Jongdae: Look it up on urban dictionary. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL_

“It’s when,” Jennie said, taking a deep breath before continuing, “It’s a hazing ritual where they make all the pledges go outside, naked, and they have to grab the dick of the pledge behind them and then walk around in a circle for however long they get told to.”

“Why would they do that?” Jongin asked horrified, and quite loudly.

“Shhh,” Jennie said, giggling.

_Kyungsoo: OMFG WHAT IS THIS?!_

“Oh my God, Kyungsoo just found out,” Jongin said, and he almost dropped his phone as he doubled over in laughter.

_Jongdae: Have fuuuuuuunnnnn!!!_

_Kyungsoo: Who even came up with this?!_

Jongin couldn’t breathe, and the commentary in the chat wasn’t helping. He kept showing it to Jennie, who was having a hard time catching her breath as well.

_Jongdae: What if you have to hold Baek’s dick while walking?! HAHAHAHAHAHA_

_Kyungsoo: Oh my God, Baek is looking forward to this. Why is he like this?! Ew, he says he’s going to practice with Lucas. Help!_

_Jongdae: RIP_

Jennie and Jongin were so busy dying of laughter that they hadn’t noticed that they had been joined by someone else.

“What’s so funny?” Jennie’s father asked, and both Jennie and Jongin did their best to reign it in.

“Nothing, daddy,” Jennie said, sounding very innocent. “Just something funny we were reading online.”

“It must have been hilarious,” her father said, joining them in one of the armchairs that faced them both. And then he turned toward his daughter to tell her about how one of the club members has a daughter who has started a jewelry line and that they should meet to discuss it since perhaps she could help promote it with her social media.

Jongin was always amazed how every conversation Jennie had with either of her parents was always related to business. His family ran a business too, and that was rarely a topic of discussion when they were together, but for this Kim family, it was all they talked about, maybe because it was all they cared about.

He hadn’t stopped thinking about what his mother had told him when he had introduced Jennie to the family finally.

_That child is starved for love._

He had wanted to ask Jennie when the last time was that her parents told her they loved her, or showed her they loved her, or made her feel like she was loved, but he never brought it up because he felt it would open a can of worms that would be too much for him to handle. He hadn’t forgotten that part of his mother’s warning either.

So instead he knew that he had to be the one to show her that, and yet, when she had accidentally told him that she loved him, he hadn’t said it back. No matter how she had played it off, he knew that she had meant it, and he had thought about it since then. He loved Krystal. And he had been the one to tell Krystal that first, and just like he had done with Jennie, she hadn’t said it back.

He remembered thinking that maybe he had missed the mark, or maybe he was reading Krystal wrong, but mostly he was embarrassed. Krystal did finally tell him that she loved him too, weeks later, when he had finally moved on from it. She had needed time. It’s how Krystal was. She wasn’t great at showing her emotions, and she always needed to think about things before acting.

That wasn’t Jongin’s excuse. He wasn’t like that. He just hadn’t thought about it, and it had caught him so off guard. But the question remained. Did he love her? And for that matter, did she really love him? If Jennie was starved for love, she’d probably be willing to give it easier than she should, especially if it forced the other person to acknowledge that they felt the same way. Was she just looking for his love without really loving him? Was she that desperate for it?

When her father finished his impromptu business meeting with her, he turned his attention to Jongin and said, “The course was great today. You missed a good round.”

“Oh,” Jongin said, looking a little surprised, “Hopefully next week it’s great too.”

“It may be, but I’ll be out of town on business,” his father said. “Jennie told me that you’ve been hired to choreograph for a pop star. I’d like to hear all about it. Let’s set up a lunch this week.”

Oh God. He should’ve just shown up to the golf thing.

“My schedule is packed this week,” Jongin said, looking toward Jennie for help.

“It’s not a problem,” her father said, “I need to come up to LA for a few things this week. Why don’t I stop by and then we can head to lunch?”

Was he being spied on? What was this?

“Uh, sure,” Jongin said because he was so blindsided and had no idea how to respond to any of this.

“Good,” her father said, satisfied with his response as he stood up. “I’ll call you with what my schedule looks like so we can coordinate.”

And then he left, without even saying bye to either of them.

“What was that?” Jongin asked Jennie as soon as they were alone again.

“He likes his weekly chats with you,” she said with a big smile.

“No,” Jongin shook his head, “He doesn’t. They usually involve him asking me questions, me answering all awkwardly, and him not ever liking my answers. Babe, I don’t think I can keep this up with your dad.”

“No, he really does,” Jennie insisted. “You worry too much about it. This is how he gets to know people.”

“It’s been months of this shit,” Jongin said, frustrated, “He knows me.”

Jennie sighed and reached out to hold his hand, maybe thinking that would help him calm down, but right now he was too stressed about this to be calm.

“The fact that he keeps wanting to hang out with you is a good thing,” she told him. “It means he likes you. He wouldn’t hang out with you if he didn’t. Which… I hope is the same with your mom. I like hanging out with her when I come over, but I usually feel like she’s being nice but doesn’t really like me. So I keep trying too. I know my dad, I’m telling you that he likes you. But you never let me know if your mother likes me or not. Am I failing? Do I need to try more?”

It had never occurred to him that the way he felt about her father was how she was feeling about his mother, but he guessed that made sense.

“You’re not failing,” he assured her, squeezing her hand back. “My mom wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s an honest person. It’s not that she doesn’t like you, it’s that she thinks you’re trying too hard. I think she just wants you to relax and be yourself around us.”

“But this is who I am,” Jennie said, looking a little distressed about this.

“You don’t have to bring her a present every time,” Jongin spelled out for her. “My mom really doesn’t care about things like that.”

“Oh,” Jennie said, surprised to hear this, and then she furrowed her brows. “But if I don’t…”

“She’ll like you just fine,” he said before she could finish. “Babe, my family likes you. You really don’t need to try and impress them. Unlike your family, which I think constantly needs to be impressed. I feel like I’m auditioning to be your boyfriend every time I interact with them.”

“That’s how I feel with your family,” she told him, her eyes concerned. “You guys have such a strong bond and are so close that I feel they’ll keep me away from you if they decided I’m not good enough for you.”

Jongin had to chuckle at this, “Okay, so it seems we’re both in the same boat, and since we’re telling each other that our families are more than okay with us being together, then maybe we both need to stop freaking out and relax a bit more.”

Jennie smiled and nodded, wanting that to be true. “Okay, let’s relax then.”

“Okay,” Jongin said.

However, when he got back to his own place later that night, he couldn’t quite let it go, and he bothered Lisa about it as she sat on their couch watching TV while eating an acai bowl.

“How was the OC?” she asked him when he plopped down with a groan on the couch.

“Everything was fine except for the part where I didn’t make it to golf with Jennie’s dad, so now he wants to come up and do lunch with me this week so we can catch up.”

Lisa laughed at him, which Jongin didn’t appreciate at the moment. He was too tired to be made fun of, and he gave her a weak shove, whining for her to stop.

“Sorry,” she said, chuckling. “It’s just too rich to not laugh about.”

“Jennie swears that the fact that he wants to hang out with me once a week is a sign that he likes me. Is that true?” Jongin knew that Lisa would have a better insight into this than Jennie could.

“Well, he certainly doesn’t hate you,” Lisa stated, which didn’t make Jongin feel better about it.

“Did he do this with her ex?” Jongin flat out asked, needing to know how he compared so he could better assess the situation.

“Of course he did,” Lisa confirmed, and she pointed at him with her spoon, “Part of why he dumped her. You know, Jennie thinks that it’s her fault that she got dumped, but I wish she understood that it wasn’t her as a person, it’s everything that comes with her.”

“I’m starting to question if I can handle everything that comes with her,” Jongin said with a sigh.

“You can,” Lisa told him, “That’s why I knew you’d be perfect for her. You guys are evenly matched. Her ex wasn’t the type to want to be in the spotlight. He didn’t mind it at first. He liked the attention, but he didn’t care for everything else. You’re not in it for the attention. You have fans and tons of followers on your own. Her dad is the least of your worries. He doesn’t hate you. Go with it.”

“If her dad is the least of my worries, then what’re most of my worries?” he went ahead and asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

“The media,” Lisa replied. “The more she’s seen coming out of clubs and bars that she shouldn’t even be allowed into, the more they’re becoming obsessed with her. Did you see that TMZ caught her and Rosé coming out of Lilac this week? It got so many clicks and views for them that the Daily Mail in the UK picked up the story too. Now she’s getting hit up left and right to host DJ nights at clubs that, again, she’s not old enough to be in.”

“Just like her mom wanted,” Jongin said, shaking his head. It had been a huge awakening for him when he had sat in on a brunch with Jennie and her mother only to find out that her mother had told her to go to a club and that she would let TMZ know to photograph her when she came out. “She’s been hiring the paparazzi a lot for her lately.”

“Yep,” Lisa nodded, “Which means your ass is about to be photographed a lot more in situations you didn’t want.”

“Great,” Jongin said, now back to wondering if this was all worth it. He liked dating Jennie, but he didn’t care at all about being in gossip blogs. Also, how likely would it hurt his reputation in his dancing career to be associated with underage people getting drunk at exclusive, high-end clubs like Lilac?

“Don’t worry,” Lisa then said, reaching over to give his knee a pat of reassurance, “You’re not the only one in this mess. Rosé keeps getting photographed with her the most because Jisoo and I are purposely avoiding going out with her. We made a pact to only attend the lowkey, non-paparazzi events.”

“I’m doing that too then,” Jongin resolved. It seemed like the smart way to go.

“Good luck,” Lisa told him. “I’m not sure you’ll always have the choice, but I support you trying.”

Jongin groaned, knowing it was true. Jennie’s mom probably already was planning to hire a paparazzi to take pictures of them walking down the street holding hands. This was awful, and he didn’t want to think about it anymore. So, he headed to his room to try and force himself to sleep so he didn’t have to, but as he settled in under his covers, the Jongas Brothers chat came alive again.

_Kyungsoo: Did you make it back to campus, Dae? Want me to sleep over so you don’t feel as lonely?_

_Jongdae: Back and confusingly not lonely._

_Kyungsoo: What does that even mean? Lol_

_Jongdae: I’m confused because Wendy came back with me._

_Jongin: What?_

_Kyungsoo: Wait, I thought she was staying down in the OC from now on?_

_Jongdae: Plot twist, she changed her mind. I have no idea why she changed her mind. I was getting my bag to leave, and she told me to get Hannah’s things ready while she got her things together. I was so confused._

_Jongin: She didn’t tell you why?_

_Jongdae: No. She just said we’ll keep doing what we’re doing. She was quiet on the car ride up like she usually is, so I have no idea why she changed her mind. When we finally got here, I asked her why she had changed her mind, and she said we’d talk in the morning, so now I’m stressed._

_Kyungsoo: Why is she being so weird?!_

_Jongin: This is nuts. What is with her?_

_Jongdae: No clue, but I’m freaking out and can’t sleep. I don’t even know what she’s going to say, but I’m freaking out._

_Kyungsoo: Well if she came back it can’t be anything worse than what’s already been happening, so you probably don’t need to freak out._

_Jongin: What Soo said._

_Jongdae: Thanks, guys. You’re probably right. I’m going to dip into my soju stash in hopes that knocks me out so I can actually sleep._

_Jongin: I might have to find soju and join you. Jennie’s dad wants to come up to LA to do lunch with me this week and I’m stressing._

_Kyungsoo: OMG_

_Jongdae: Why?!_

_Jongin: I don’t know! I hate everything._

_Kyungsoo: At least you don’t have to do an elephant walk!_

_Jongdae: asdfghjkl!!!!_

_Jongin: Let’s all do a shot of soju and pray for each other._

_Kyungsoo: Getting a bottle from the fridge._

_Jongdae: Got mine from under my bed. Desperate times._

Jongin didn’t have a bottle of soju handy, but he joined them in spirit. At least it was nice to know that he wasn’t the only one going through something weird at the moment. Lunch with Jennie’s dad was definitely preferable to a wife that didn’t talk to him and made no sense.

And definitely preferable to doing an elephant walk.


	8. Chapter 8

Since Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Nayeon, and Sana had all been busy with class and rush activities, Chanyeol had needed a distraction during the week to stop himself from thinking about things that were bothering him. At first, he thought that visiting Jongdae and little Hannah would be a good enough distraction, but he didn’t want to feel like he was bothering him and his wife too much, especially because she always seemed emo and he wasn’t sure if she felt uncomfortable when he visited.

So, on one of the nights when he couldn’t get a hold of anyone to distract him, he had gone online to research one of the things that had been bothering him. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting “gaydar” to be when he looked it up, but it seemed like a straightforward enough thing as he read through the Wikipedia entry on it, and then he found a couple of different articles on it that seemed to all say the same thing as the Wikipedia entry.

What he read made him even more bothered, and even though there was no conclusive argument that gaydar was even a real thing, the science behind it was real enough. Chanyeol felt a knot in his stomach, one that had begun to form after he had met Kris.

He was happy when the week after rush started, since he finally got all his distractions back. And as he opened the door to his apartment, he beamed at the sight of his girlfriend and her overnight bag.

“Did you miss me?” Nayeon asked him, greeting him with a kiss and walking in.

“More than you could imagine,” he told her, and he wasn’t lying. He felt that this rush thing had been more brutal on him than anyone else. “Did you miss me?”

“More than you could imagine,” she replied with a smile, pulling out some things from her bag to put in his bathroom so she didn’t have to take them out later.

They ordered delivery and made out while they waited for it to arrive, then startled and laughed when a knock on the door alerted them that their food had made it.

They sat at his small table to eat, and Chanyeol asked her, “So how was rush this year?”

Nayeon had wanted a salad, so he had ordered himself one as well, and a bowl of soup since he knew the salad wouldn’t be enough.

“Not that bad,” she said, mixing her salad around with her fork and then dipping a forkful into her dressing on the side. “We ended up with a great pledge class. My little is adorable and super intelligent, so I’m excited to get to know her better.”

Chanyeol smiled and then let out an unexpected chuckle, which he explained. “Sorry, I’m just thinking about how Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are part of a frat now.”

“Not just any frat,” she pointed out. “They’re Lambdas. That’s the biggest, most popular frat on campus. Also the one with the best or worst reputation depending on who you ask.”

“Based on the one frat party I went to,” Chanyeol said, blowing the soup on his spoon even though it wasn’t that hot, “I can see why. I was surprised they had Asians in their frat to begin with. And even more surprised they took two more.”

“They always have to have their tokens,” Nayeon said, pursing her lips to the side as if she disapproved, “But actually it’s not as bad for the frats. Sororities are harsher about that kind of thing. Frats, especially Lambda, just want guys who are good looking, rich, and like to party. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had a better chance getting into Lambda than I would have had if I had tried to rush Kappa.”

“I don’t believe that,” Chanyeol told her with a smile. “They would have taken you. Just like how they took Jisoo over at UCLA.”

“You’re too nice,” Nayeon said with a humble smile, but then she looked unbelieving and said, “God, I’ll never get over Jisoo being a Kappa. I don’t know how she does it.”

Chanyeol shook his head with a smile, knowing the answer was that Jisoo always did whatever it took to meet her goals. He had always admired that about her.

“Kappa Kappa Gamma is the top tier sorority here too, and they’re one of Lambda’s sister sororities,” she continued on, lost in her own musings. “It’s too bad that Jisoo doesn’t go to school here. Jisoo and Kris would make a great couple.”

Chanyeol stopped chewing on his lettuce, thinking he had misheard her. “Jisoo and who?” he asked to make sure.

“Kris Wu,” Nayeon said, perking up. “He’s a Lambda. Their vice president. He’s a senior and very tall and very attractive and popular. He’s the Lambda version of you,” she then said with a small giggle.

Chanyeol put down his fork, at a loss of what to do all of a sudden. He decided to take a sip from his water bottle.

“Sounds like a great guy,” he then said and took another sip.

“He is. Every girl in my house was trying to date him at one point,” she said, appearing to smile at a memory. “None of them got lucky, which duh, I could have told them that. We don’t interact with IFC frats, so our chances were low. The girls in our house have already started talking about how they probably won’t get to hook up with Baekhyun anymore because he’s now a Lambda.”

Chanyeol snorted at that and picked up his fork again, but he wanted to get the conversation back to Kris. He wondered what else Nayeon knew about him.

“Well this Kris guy sounds lame if he wouldn’t date one of you guys,” he tried, hoping that got her talking about him again.

“He’s not lame at all,” she said, and then gave him a funny look, as if telling him to stop being a hater. “He’s pretty quiet though. Not what you’d expect from a Lambda, but he’s really lowkey and chill. He carries himself in this really cool way.”

“Sounds like you wanted to date him,” Chanyeol pointed out, eyebrow raised.

“Of course, I wanted to. But now I have you. Even better,” she said with a cute smile.

Chanyeol smiled back at her and decided to give her a little peck on the lips for the compliment, then went back to eating his food. But his mind couldn’t really move on from it, and even as he made out with Nayeon that night and kissed her and touched her just how she liked, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Kris had told him that night or what would have happened if he had gone off with him to experiment and make out.

***

Chanyeol knew that, in order to get a better handle on all the crazy thoughts and feelings going through him since discovering Kris, he had to confront the issue. So, he decided that he would. Kind of. He waited until Wednesday when he was in class with Baekhyun again and then asked him if they could hang out after and talk. Baekhyun luckily didn’t have a class right after, and he asked Chanyeol to come along with him to run an errand instead.

“What are we doing again?” Chanyeol asked as Baekhyun drove around trying to find an address he had been given.

“I have to pick up a cake,” Baekhyun explained, waiting for a very slow driver to hurry up so he could make a left turn.

“For what again?” Chanyeol asked, not having understood the details when Baekhyun had first shared them.

“Probably to throw in my face,” Baekhyun said with a snort. “Lucas needs it for something.”

Chanyeol chuckled and said, “You’re that sprung that you’re picking up cakes for him now?”

“I am that sprung, but alas, this isn’t that,” Baekhyun explained, finally able to make the left. “This is him hazing me. He’s my big so he has to make me do stupid things. Other guys are having to wash their bigs’ underwear by hand. When I heard about that, I told Lucas I’d do it for him, and he laughed at me and told me to pick up a cake instead.”

“I am suddenly grateful that I didn’t let you guys convince me to join,” Chanyeol said, not understanding what the point of hazing was. “What’s Kyungsoo’s big making him do?”

“Logan?” Baekhyun said, finally parallel parking on the street in front of the bakery. “He made him watch a terrible movie. I can’t remember what it was called, but Kyungsoo kept complaining that the acting was so bad that it hurt his soul.”

Chanyeol chuckled, imagining it well. They got out of the car and went inside the bakery, where Baekhyun said he was supposed to pick up an order for Lucas.

The woman behind the counter went to the back, then came out with a large box and asked him to make sure it was fine. Baekhyun and Chanyeol both looked inside to see a cake that had “Happy Birthday Craig” written on it, and Chanyeol guessed it was one of their frat brother’s birthdays.

“That’ll be $40,” the lady said, and Baekhyun snorted and pulled out his credit card, handing it over.

“Well played, Lucas,” Baekhyun said. “Making me pay for it.”

“Part of the haze?” Chanyeol asked.

“Yep, never a dull moment,” Baekhyun said with a laugh, taking the receipt and thanking the woman as he grabbed the box.

Once the cake was safely in Baekhyun’s backseat, they got back into the car to head back to campus.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Baekhyun asked, glancing over at him then looking back at the road.

“Things,” Chanyeol said, not even sure how to go about asking him what he wanted to.

“What kinds of things?” Baekhyun said.

Chanyeol cleared his throat and considered the best way to go about this.

“So,” he began, carefully, “You know how you’re bi?”

“Yeah?” Baekhyun said, quirking an eyebrow up.

“How did you know you were bi?” Chanyeol asked, deciding that making him talk instead would make this easier.

“Oh,” Baekhyun said, smiling, “Well, I had a major crush on this boy in middle school.” He glanced again at Chanyeol, then continued, “It was the same type of crush that I had on this other girl in middle school, and as I got older, I realized that kept happening. Like I didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl, I crushed the same. I wanted to hold hands, and kiss, and spend time with them all the time.”

“Didn’t that freak you out though?” Chanyeol said, knowing it would have freaked him out. His own situation was certainly freaking him out.

“Not really,” Baekhyun said, looking as if he was thinking about it, “It felt like it made sense. I mean, it’s always made sense to me. I know everyone’s different though. Like Kyungsoo’s ex was way in the closet and refused to acknowledge he was doing anything more than just experimenting, which was really shitty of him, but…” Baekhyun suddenly stopped, blinking, as if he had said something he wasn’t supposed to.

Chanyeol blinked as well.

“He was just a shitty ex all around,” Baekhyun waved off, and then very obviously tried to switch the subject, “Why do you ask?”

So many reasons. But now Chanyeol wanted to hear all about Kyungsoo’s shitty ex. Who was just experimenting. Which Baekhyun just said was shitty. Chanyeol furrowed his brows.

“Yeol?” Baekhyun said to get his attention back on him.

“Why was it shitty of him that he wanted to experiment?” Chanyeol asked instead.

“Shit,” Baekhyun said, letting out a sigh. “I didn’t mean it like that. Yixing was just a jerk to Kyungsoo. He never reciprocated any of Kyungsoo’s feelings, and… well he justified everything by saying he was experimenting. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Chanyeol felt a sense of clarity come over him all of a sudden. No wonder Kyungsoo hadn’t wanted things to go further with them. Because of his ex and how experimenting hadn’t worked out for him, and he probably thought that Chanyeol wouldn’t reciprocate either. But… wait, now Chanyeol was confused again.

“Yeol?” Baekhyun said again, and Chanyeol focused back on him.

“Is experimenting not a good thing then?” Chanyeol asked him, needing to understand this.

Baekhyun took a moment as if trying to make sure he chose his words carefully.

“It’s fine,” Baekhyun said, giving him an encouraging smile. “Experimenting is totally normal. It’s part of what helps people figure out if they’re straight, or gay, or bi, or pan, or ace.”

Chanyeol looked at him confused, “Pan or ace?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun nodded, “I’ll send you a link. The point is, experimenting is totally okay and a normal thing. But, in Kyungsoo’s case, his ex was obviously into Kyungsoo. Like it started off as experimenting, but at some point, they were in a real relationship with each other, but Yixing kept saying he was just experimenting, and he basically used Kyungsoo a lot. It was awful.”

Chanyeol was very upset to hear this, and he wanted to find Kyungsoo’s ex and yell at him for being awful to Kyungsoo.

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, understanding better, “Kyungsoo and I experimented once.”

“Yeah, I heard,” Baekhyun said, looking unimpressed. “Thanks for finally telling me, your best friend, five million years later.”

“Sorry,” Chanyeol said, giving him an apologetic look, “I was very confused about it.”

“That’s fair,” Baekhyun acknowledged, “So you and Kyungsoo experimented once. And?”

“I wanted to keep experimenting with him,” Chanyeol confessed, and Baekhyun nodded at him. “So if I wanted to keep doing that with him, does that make me bi?”

Baekhyun gave him a warm smile, “Before I answer, I want you to know that I am really proud of you for even asking the question. I know you’ve been struggling with this for a long time, so honestly, it’s good you got to the point of asking.”

Chanyeol felt a bit embarrassed, but he did realize that it hadn’t freaked him out as much as he had thought to ask the question.

“Here’s the thing, everyone is different. Being bisexual means that you know you like men and women, so the only person that can answer that question is you. The thing about experimenting is that it should answer some questions for you,” Baekhyun explained. “That’s what an experiment is, right? That whole thing they taught us in school about having a hypothesis, asking the right questions, doing experiments to find answers, then reporting the results.”

“Oh yeah,” Chanyeol nodded. “I hated that class.”

“Same,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle. “That’s exactly what that is. You had a reason you wanted to experiment, you experimented, what’s your result? What did you learn from it? What questions of yours did it answer?”

Chanyeol thought back to that day, one that he had never been able to forget, and one that he often thought about again, usually before drifting off to sleep while wishing that Kyungsoo was beside him so they could… he didn’t even know what. Snuggle?

“I learned that I really liked kissing Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol admitted, and Baekhyun smiled at him with warmth. “But if it’s just Kyungsoo, then I’m not sure that makes me bisexual.”

“Maybe you’re just Kyungsoo-sexual,” Baekhyun teased.

“Maybe,” Chanyeol said, letting his tongue play with his bottom lip as he then thought about Kris. “At your frat party, the one I went to with you guys,” he told him, “Kris said that his gaydar told him I was bisexual.”

“Dude,” Baekhyun said, looking surprised, “What?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol confirmed. “He said his gaydar told him Jongdae was straight and that I was bi. I had to Google what a gaydar was and how it worked.”

Chanyeol should have probably anticipated the way that Baekhyun laughed and cackled, banging the steering wheel with his hand in a rather over the top way. Chanyeol waited for him to finish, having to let out a little chuckle as well.

“Sorry,” Baekhyun said, pulling himself together. “Sorry. That was just so funny. You Googled ‘gaydar.’ I freaking love you.”

“People kept mentioning it, and I didn’t know what it was,” Chanyeol pleaded his case.

“I know. It’s just too cute,” Baekhyun said, taking a deep breath. “Okay, so now you know what it is. And Kris said his gaydar told him you were bi. Is that why this came up?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, scratching the side of his head. “Like, it’s one thing when you and Jisoo and people who knew me were telling me, but this guy didn’t even know me, and he thought I was bi. It’s been on my mind since then.”

“I bet,” Baekhyun nodded. “You know, my gaydar isn’t all that great. I thought Kris was straight until Lucas told me he wasn’t.”

“I thought he was too,” Chanyeol agreed, glad he wasn’t the only one. “He seems straight. I don’t know. He’s so chill and… cool.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle, “Lucas said the reason he bothered to join Lambda was because he had a crush on Kris. I don’t blame him.”

“I don’t either,” Chanyeol said with a nod, “The way he leans was really… I couldn’t stop staring at him every time he came over to talk to me and Jongdae. He kept leaning against the wall in this way…”

“Oh,” Baekhyun said, and since he had just stopped at a red light, he looked at Chanyeol in a careful way. “Are you… saying that… you find Kris attractive? Like, maybe you’re attracted to Kris?”

“Well,” Chanyeol said, brows furrowing again in confusion. “He thought I was bi, so I guess he hit on me and said he had wanted to make out with me, and I told him I was straight, and he didn’t believe me. After that night, I kept thinking about how I don’t think I would’ve minded experimenting with him.”

“So maybe not just Kyungsoo-sexual after all,” Baekhyun offered and that made Chanyeol freak out a little.

“Uh, could I be Kyungsoo-sexual and Kris-sexual and still not be bi?” Chanyeol asked, hoping the answer was “yes.”

“Sure,” Baekhyun said with a one-shoulder shrug, “But why do you want to not be bi so badly?” The light turned green, and Baekhyun focused back on driving.

“Huh?” Chanyeol asked, not sure what he meant.

“If you’re attracted to two guys, and want to kiss them and be with them, then what keeps you from just being bi?” Baekhyun asked him.

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, shrugging.

“Do you think it’s wrong to be bi?” Baekhyun then asked him.

“No,” Chanyeol said quickly so that Baekhyun didn’t get the wrong idea. “Obviously there’s nothing wrong with being bi. I mean you’re bi.”

“Right,” Baekhyun said, again with a careful tone, “So what makes you not want to be bi?”

“I’m just not,” Chanyeol said, knowing this to be true. Obviously, he wasn’t.

“Then why are you asking me about it?” Baekhyun challenged him.

“Oh, just to make sure,” Chanyeol shrugged again. “Like, if experimenting doesn’t mean I’m bi, then I’m not bi.”

Baekhyun sighed and said, “Okay, Chanyeol, if you say you’re not bi, then you’re not bi.” Chanyeol swore he looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, so he decided to turn it back on him.

“Why do you, and Jisoo, and everyone else want me to be bi?” Chanyeol asked.

“It’s not about wanting you to be bi,” Baekhyun told him in a way that sounded as if Chanyeol needed him to understand this. “The fact that we all think you’re bi doesn’t mean we want you to be. Honestly, Yeol, you can go on and date Nayeon, Sana, whoever, and end up marrying one of them and having kids, and as long as you’re happy, then we’re happy.”

With the way they acted, Chanyeol was convinced that they’d only be happy if he was bi, but he let it go and simply thanked Baekhyun for the sentiment.

“I want you to be happy too,” Chanyeol then added. “Do you think Lucas is the one to finally tie you down?”

“Oh God no,” Baekhyun said with a big laugh that made Chanyeol relax again. He hadn’t realized until that moment that the conversation had made him so tense. “We’re just going to have a lot of fun together. He’s such a good kisser,” Baekhyun cooed.

“I’m happy that you guys are having fun,” Chanyeol told him, and then he had a thought. “Wait, do you think Lucas and Kris ever hooked up?”

“They totally did,” Baekhyun told him, and Chanyeol looked surprised. “They had a thing for a while, but then Kris broke it off to do a semester abroad. They didn’t pick it up when he got back because Lucas had found someone else. But Lucas said that he and Kris are still really close, and he really respects him and looks up to him as his big.”

That made Chanyeol think about Nayeon and how she would be doing a semester abroad come spring. He wondered if he should just break things off with her before she left, that way he didn’t have to worry about her finding out about Sana. He would’ve mentioned this to Baekhyun to get his advice, but he knew that Baekhyun didn’t approve of him seeing both girls, so he kept it to himself.

After he got dropped off back home, Chanyeol crashed onto his bed, feeling exhausted and not even knowing why. Class had been class, but his thoughts on things were tiring him out. He wasn’t bi. He was just Kyungsoo-and-Kris sexual. If he even was Kris-sexual. Just because he liked the way the senior leaned didn’t mean he was completely attracted to him or anything. Lost in his thoughts, he barely registered that his phone had buzzed.

_Sana: I miss your dick._

Chanyeol may have blushed, which was silly since no one was around, but still. He chuckled to himself and wondered if the right response was that it missed her. He figured he’d try it and see.

_Chanyeol: It misses you too._

_Sana: Then when am I seeing it again?_

_Chanyeol: Maybe tomorrow? I’ve been busy lately._

_Sana: Too busy for me?_

Chanyeol wondered why that felt like a trap question. He wasn’t sure how to respond to it. He really had been busy, and he didn’t want to lie to her. Honestly, Nayeon had been keeping him pretty busy, coming over to stay with him or meeting up with him for lunch on campus a lot.

_Sana: Okay, so I guess you are too busy for me._

_Chanyeol: Sorry. But yeah. Want to meet up after classes tomorrow? What time is your last class?_

_Sana: 3_

_Chanyeol: Perfect. Come by._

_Sana: Okay. Here’s a little teaser._

Chanyeol then blushed again as she sent him a picture of her lying in bed in a provocative pose, wearing only her underwear. Why was she so bold? And why did he kinda really like it? Nayeon was pretty bold too, but Sana’s recklessness really excited him.

_Chanyeol: Consider me teased._

He honestly wanted to invite her over right then and there, but he knew Nayeon would be on her way soon, and as much as he was looking forward to spending the night with her, he really wished it was Sana instead.

Which was confusing.

He didn’t think he liked Sana more than Nayeon. They both were pretty even to him in the way they liked him and gave him attention. His conversations with them both were also pretty equal. He never really knew what to talk about with them, so he’d let them lead the conversations and just go along with whatever they said. Nayeon liked to talk more to him than Sana did, but it was still pretty even. And he thought they were both equally pretty.

Not at all like Kyungsoo and Kris, who were two very different beings in his mind. Kyungsoo was small and… well, squishy was the only word that came to mind. Like when he had been in his lap, kissing him, and Chanyeol had held him, and every single part of him that his hands had touched had felt perfect… and squishy. He kinda wished Nayeon and Sana felt a little more like that. He didn’t think Kris did at all. Kris was tall and built similarly to Chanyeol. He wondered what he would feel like in his arms instead.

He suddenly wondered if he could somehow talk to Kris again and take him up on that offer. He’d definitely be down for experimenting with him and getting some of his questions answered. Like the science experiment that Baekhyun had referenced in the car.

And that suddenly made him think about what Baekhyun had said about Kyungsoo and his ex. Chanyeol hadn’t even known that Kyungsoo had an ex, much less one that had been awful to him. It wasn’t right, and Chanyeol got upset thinking about it. Kyungsoo deserved a great boyfriend. One that treated him right and appreciated him for all his funny little quirks, and his movies obsession, and his full lips, and the way he was so easy to talk to about anything, always making Chanyeol laugh and smile when he most needed it.

Chanyeol hated that Kyungsoo had felt he couldn’t experiment with him because of what his ex had done, and now Chanyeol really hated that guy for ruining what could have been an amazing time experimenting. If they had been experimenting, Chanyeol would have made sure to treat Kyungsoo right, and he would have been nice to him and, if they had ended up in a relationship because of it, Chanyeol would have made sure to be the best boyfriend he could be.

Oh.

Chanyeol’s heart skipped a beat, and he sat up straight in his bed, eyes wide as the realization hit him.

Oh God.

Oh no.

Chanyeol’s heart started racing as he realized what he had thought. How had his mind taken him from experimenting to thinking he could be Kyungsoo’s boyfriend? But he liked the idea. He liked it a lot, because he realized he missed looking at Kyungsoo, and how he felt around Kyungsoo, and he had to admit that he really, really, really wanted to kiss him again. And shit…

Shit.

His stomach flipped over and over, and Chanyeol had to put a hand on his tummy to try and make it stop.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol said to himself. “It’s okay that…” Chanyeol had to take a couple of deep breaths, and then he tried again. “It’s okay to be bi. It’s okay.”

Admitting it made him more scared somehow, but how the hell could he deny it when he wanted to be a dude’s boyfriend? That was more than experimenting. That wasn’t just attraction. That was a whole relationship, and he realized that he suddenly wanted it.

He wanted it with Kyungsoo.


	9. Chapter 9

Sophomore year had started off with a bang for Kyungsoo. Not only had Baekhyun ended up being an amazing roommate, but now he was a Lambda, with a really cool big brother, and thanks to his big brother, he now had an agent. Logan’s agent had wasted no time in reaching out to Kyungsoo, and the subsequent meeting had gone better than Kyungsoo could have expected.

He thought Logan’s agent would give him advice and a list of things to do that would help him get an agent, what he got instead was an honest opinion of his headshots (“You need new ones, and they need to be better than this. Here’s the number of a guy I recommend.”) and an even more honest opinion of his acting based on the reel he had sent him with some of his performances from high school and a few monologues he had recorded himself doing (“Your range and choices are unreal. I’m not surprised you got cast after a cattle call audition. Your eyes are incredibly expressive. You come off one note at times when you have a long scene, so you need to work on that. Also, you have an instinct for acting that’s helped you through, but you need to hone those talents more so it’s good you’re in theater classes. Stay in them. Instincts can only do so much of the work.”)

After the feedback, Logan’s agent had said that his roster was full and that he already had two Asians, who he was already having a hard enough time getting jobs for (“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, the parts just aren’t there. Right now, there’s a bit of a surge in parts because of this whole K-pop thing that’s happened. It’s piqued people’s interest. But even those parts aren’t a lot, just a little bit more than usual.”) Kyungsoo had thought that would be the end of the meeting, but instead, he had asked him if he minded if one of his newer agents that he was mentoring joined them. Kyungsoo had told him it was fine with him, thinking that he wanted to use this as a learning experience for the guy.

What he actually had wanted to do was introduce him to see if Kyungsoo and the junior agent, Eric, vibed well. The senior agent played the reel for him, and Eric seemed to have a lot of the same comments. He also told him the same thing about his headshots, and then he asked Kyungsoo what his dream role was.

“Lead role in a Christopher Nolan film,” Kyungsoo had replied with no hesitation, and both agents had laughed, with Eric saying, “Nice choice.”

In the end, Eric was the one that had offered representation, explaining that he was building up his list and hadn’t had any big deals yet, but he felt he was close. “I’ll be your big deal,” Kyungsoo had assured him, and Eric had smiled and reached out a hand for him to shake. Before Kyungsoo had left the office, the senior agent had casually mentioned to Kyungsoo that his dream role may not be as much of a dream as he thought. When Kyungsoo had looked at him curiously, the man had smiled and pointed toward an office across from his and said, “That’s Nolan’s agent’s office.” Kyungsoo had almost died on the spot, and as he left the agency and returned to his car, he realized that he couldn’t stop shaking. He had been that close to his dream. No. Correction. He was now that close to his dream.

It was not lost on him then that his dad had been right about the frat thing, even if it meant having to do Logan’s laundry and wash his car each week. And so his dad had been the first person he had called to tell that he now had an agent, and then his mom, and then Logan since he had told him he’d be first to know how it went, and then the Jongas Brothers chat, and then Baekhyun, and then Taeyong, and then last, but certainly not least, Chanyeol, who had texted him back a hundred exclamation marks.

Eric hadn’t been lying about the scarcity of parts for him, but finally, after a couple of weeks, he had gotten him an audition, and Kyungsoo had skipped classes to drive to the Fox Studio Lot. The role was for a Fox sitcom that had done well in its first season and was greenlit for a second one. They wanted to bring in a new character that would be recurring. Per the byline, he was a 20-something Asian male who worked as a bartender at the lead’s favorite bar.

He had done everything he could to try and look older, styling his hair back and away from his face, wearing a button-down and nice slacks, trying his best to go for a polished older look, even though he had the thought that bartenders wouldn’t dress like this. But his youthful appearance was a detriment, so more than anything, he had to make sure the casting people didn’t get hung up on that.

After parking where he was told and signing in, he went to a waiting room where a familiar face spotted him.

“Kyungsoo!” Junmyeon said, motioning him over to sit by him. Unlike Kyungsoo, Junmyeon looked old enough to play a bartender. He didn’t want to sit by him, so he sat near him instead, leaving a chair between them. “Are you still Kyungsoo, or did you change your name?”

“I’m still Kyungsoo,” he assured him. “How has Suho been working out for you lately?”

“Really well,” Junmyeon said with a confident smile, “I booked two jobs since we last met. One was a few lines in a scene for a feature, and one was a co-star for one episode of _Killing Eve_.”

“Oh wow,” Kyungsoo said, rather impressed, and then he let Junmyeon know that he had gotten the part and shot the indie over the summer.

“I knew you would,” Junmyeon said, looking proud of himself for knowing. “Your audition was surreal. I told my girlfriend about it when I got back home. I couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks. I mentioned it to everyone at school too.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, surprised that Junmyeon was in a relationship and wondering about this girlfriend that put up with him and his ego. He then remembered that Junmyeon had been a senior last year. “Congrats on graduating.”

“Thanks,” Junmyeon said, smoothing the side of his hair as if he sensed it had fallen a little out of place. “I’m glad that’s behind me. It’s made it much easier to focus on my career. I’ve started taking some theater classes around town to keep my training up, and those have been going well also.”

“Yeah, I’m finally getting to really delve into my major this year,” Kyungsoo told him. “And I’m auditioning tomorrow for a student movie, so hopefully that happens too.”

“Those are fun,” Junmyeon nodded. “I had to start taking those off my resume because I was running out of room.”

Kyungsoo certainly hadn’t missed Junmyeon’s humble brags, and he had no idea why he was engaged in this much conversation with him. Then Kyungsoo thought that maybe it was that whole effect of being happy to see a familiar face. Even if it was Junmyeon’s.

“Do you think they’re going to make us mix drinks in there?” Kyungsoo joked, but he should have known that Junmyeon wouldn’t take it as one.

“I know how to make most drinks from the Bartending Bible site I’ve been studying for three days now,” Junmyeon began, and Kyungsoo tuned him out as he talked about the best way to make a Moscow Mule and how if you didn’t have the right cup then you might as well just call it a Mule.

Thankfully, an assistant came out to call Junmyeon in, and Kyungsoo took the free moment to look over the lines again and consider some of the things he had been learning in his theater classes. Another guy walked in, definitely tall, good looking, and very much passable for a bartender, and Kyungsoo had to remind himself that they called him in for a reason.

It was the first audition he had been called for with his new headshot, so that was a good sign, and he had been relatively honest about his height and weight on his resume, so it wasn’t like they should be surprised that he didn’t really look like an attractive bartender. He told himself these things to calm himself down, but somehow it was making it worse, and by the time the door opened again to reveal a laughing Junmyeon, the sound of other people laughing behind him, Kyungsoo was wracked by nerves.

The assistant greeted him and motioned for him to come in, and Kyungsoo smiled at her and nodded, getting up and taking a deep breath as he walked into the room of about eight people sitting behind a long table. Okay, so a lot of differing opinions would be taking into consideration. He could work with that.

“Mr. Doh?” the woman in the middle asked, and Kyungsoo smiled even wider, always amused how people tried to avoid saying his first name. He planned on changing that reaction very quickly as he made his way through the industry.

“Yes,” he replied, “Kyungsoo Doh.”

“Kyungsoo,” she said, writing down what was probably a phonetic interpretation. “And you’re 19?”

“I am,” Kyungsoo confirmed, then added, “So I probably shouldn’t mention that I’m pretty good at mixing drinks.”

Several of the people at the table laughed, and Kyungsoo calmed down a bit more. Junmyeon wasn’t the only one who could captivate an audience.

“It’s fine if you mix them, as long as you don’t drink them, right?” a guy sitting a couple of chairs from the woman said, his arms crossed with a cheery grin.

“Exactly,” Kyungsoo said with a chuckle.

They told him to go ahead and read with one of the assistants, and the assistant let him know she was ready when he was.

He dove right into the scene, having gone through it enough times with Baekhyun to be able to play off whatever the assistant was giving him, which wasn’t much of anything, but he rolled with it. While Kyungsoo had always preferred to do more dramatic parts, he knew he happened to have pretty good comedic timing. He credited being friends with Jongin and Jongdae for that, the three of them often playing off each other in ridiculous ways.

The woman in the middle told him to do it again, but with a bit more irony, and then a third time, with less. And when he was done, he looked at them for any sign at all that they had loved what they’d seen.

“You are fantastic,” the guy with the still crossed arms said, “I was laughing my ass off the whole time.”

“You have incredible comedic timing,” the woman next to the woman in the middle agreed. “I loved your choices all three times.”

“Definitely one of the best auditions we’ve seen,” the woman in the middle agreed. “Thank you so much. We’re hoping to make a decision soon.”

Kyungsoo thanked them and left feeling elated that they had enjoyed his audition. But had they liked it enough?

He signed out and left the building, only to be confronted by Junmyeon who had been pretending to be on his phone based on how quickly he pocketed it.

“How’d it go?” Junmyeon asked him.

“Um… fine?” Kyungsoo said, hurrying to his car.

“Mine went great,” Junmyeon told him. “I think I got this one.”

“Okay?” Kyungsoo said, unlocking his car as he got closer to it.

“Where are you headed now?” Junmyeon then asked him, still walking with him for some reason. “Wanna go grab lunch?”

“Oh, I have to get to my next class,” Kyungsoo lied. He had no intention of going to any classes that day. In fact, he was now looking forward to going home and chilling, especially since Logan had given him the night off from hazing because of his audition. He was sure Logan would have him make up for it tomorrow, probably having to clean his sneakers until they were sparkling white or something.

“Oh, bummer,” Junmyeon said, taking out his phone again. “Let me get your number so we can hang when you’re free.”

“I’m never free,” Kyungsoo said, and he waved and got into his car, just as Junmyeon waved back at him and said they’d talk later.

Kyungsoo’s mind was really boggled by Junmyeon, and he hoped that he didn’t run into him again, but something told him that he wouldn’t get so lucky. Maybe he could have his new agent find Junmyeon’s agent so they could coordinate opposing audition schedules.

When he got home, he had expected the apartment to be empty, but instead, Baekhyun was home, and Chanyeol was with him, both of them eating out of ramen cups as they sat at a table, laptops and notebooks open, and a guitar sitting beside Chanyeol’s chair.

“Hey!” Baekhyun said, “How’d the audition go?”

“Good,” Kyungsoo told him as he smiled back at Chanyeol who was giving him a smile. “You guys look like you’re working hard on something.”

“We’re writing my future big hits,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle.

“Did you write a song about Lucas?” Kyungsoo teased him, and Baekhyun laughed saying he was working on it.

Kyungsoo went to his room to change out of his fake grown adult clothes and into sweats and a tee, then headed to the kitchen so he could get himself a cup of ramen too. He then joined the songwriters at the table, reading over the lyrics they had so far and assuring them that they seemed good.

“You should sing this song at karaoke for Dae’s birthday this weekend,” Kyungsoo told them.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun looked at each other with wide eyes and said at the same time, “We should.”

Kyungsoo laughed at them, then watched as Chanyeol put down his ramen and lifted his guitar instead so they could do a run-through.

It was magical, and Kyungsoo was mesmerized as he watched Chanyeol play the guitar and provide deep backing vocals for Baekhyun’s higher tone. It really was criminal that Chanyeol didn’t just join Baekhyun’s band.

“That last line sucks,” Baekhyun said, making a face as he grabbed his pencil and erased the line.

“I didn’t think it was so bad,” Chanyeol shrugged, putting his guitar back down and glancing at Kyungsoo, who smiled at him again, and Chanyeol smiled back. Kyungsoo hated so much that he did this to him.

In the past couple of weeks or so, Chanyeol had been starting to hang out at their apartment more, and at first, he had thought that maybe something had happened between him and Nayeon, but Baekhyun had told him that Chanyeol just missed hanging out with them because they were caught up in frat things now. That had made sense, and Kyungsoo hated himself for getting his hopes up that Chanyeol and Nayeon had broken up. He wasn’t even sure why he cared. It’s not like it would make a difference anyway.

Kyungsoo’s phone lit up with a text from Taeyong saying he was outside the lobby. He smiled and got up from the table, letting the other two know.

“I invited Taeyong over once my audition was done,” he said, slipping on his sneakers.

Baekhyun laughed and teased him, “Did we ruin your sexy time with TaeTae by being here?”

“Ew,” Kyungsoo said, looking disturbed, “Please don’t ever call it ‘sexy time’ again, and please don’t use that nickname in front of him.”

“I’m going to work on my delivery of both of those things for as soon as he walks through the door,” Baekhyun said snickering.

“New plan, I’m going to meet Taeyong in the lobby, and then we’re going to go anywhere but here,” Kyungsoo said as Baekhyun laughed more, and when Kyungsoo glanced at Chanyeol to see him laughing as well, Kyungsoo was confused to see that he wasn’t laughing at all.

Kyungsoo walked across the courtyard and to the lobby, letting Taeyong in and greeting him with a kiss and then a warning.

“Baek and Chanyeol are over,” he explained as he led him through the courtyard. “I guess they decided to skip class too.”

“So no sex on the couch, damn,” Taeyong joked, and Kyungsoo chuckled.

Before they could reach his building, they ran into Nayeon, who was coming out of hers.

“Hey, Kyungsoo,” she said with a happy greeting, and she waved at Taeyong as well. “Just wondering if Chanyeol is at your place again. I wanted to go over the details of our formal, or mostly, get his opinion on a couple of dresses I’m debating between.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kyungsoo told her, thinking to himself that Chanyeol probably didn’t care what dress she wore. All he probably cared about was if it’d be easy to get off her, and Kyungsoo almost frowned at this idea. “He’s writing songs with Baek. I’ll let him know you’re looking for him.”

“Thanks,” she said, waving at them as she headed back toward her building.

Once they were back in the apartment, Kyungsoo delivered the message as he toed his sneakers off by the door.

“Shit, I forgot about that formal,” Chanyeol said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Hey, TaeTae!” Baekhyun called out, and Kyungsoo glared at him.

Taeyong chuckled however and replied, “Hey, BaekBaek,” which made Kyungsoo laugh.

“Should I leave the two of you alone?” Kyungsoo said without irony, and Taeyong laughed with him.

“Sadly, I’m sprung on someone else at the moment,” Baekhyun lamented, putting the back of his hand to his forehead as if he was about to faint.

“I’m still waiting to meet this Lucas guy,” Taeyong said as he hovered by Kyungsoo.

“You’ll meet him Saturday at Dae’s birthday,” Baekhyun assured him.

“You think you’re prepared for it,” Kyungsoo said, taking Taeyong’s hand in his, “But you’re never prepared for Lucas.”

“That’s so true,” Baekhyun agreed, and Kyungsoo looked at Chanyeol, expecting the same reaction, but he was looking a little lost toward Kyungsoo and Taeyong like he wasn’t paying attention to anything at all. He was probably too busy thinking about his formal with Nayeon.

“We’ll leave you guys to your songwriting,” Kyungsoo said, leading Taeyong to his room so they could have time alone.

Kyungsoo tidied up a bit, even though he rarely left his room a mess, and Taeyong made himself at home on his bed, sitting up against the wall.

“So, do you think you got the part?” Taeyong asked him as he watched him.

“I hope so. There’s this other guy that auditioned that was really good too. I guess it’ll depend on who looks more like a bartender.”

“You don’t look like a bartender,” Taeyong pointed out with a chuckle.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo defended, stacking his books on his desk in the order he needed to study, in theory, since he probably wouldn’t study. “You didn’t see me in my grown-up clothes at the audition.”

“You were in costume?” Taeyong asked, looking intrigued. “You should’ve sent me a picture.”

“Next time I audition for a grown-up role, I’ll send you a selfie,” Kyungsoo told him, sitting on the bed and facing him with his legs tucked under each other. Taeyong smiled at this idea and gave him a thumbs up. “Don’t you have an audition coming up?”

“It’s on Monday,” Taeyong confirmed. “For a commercial. And I’d be one of many dancers that you’d see for a split second. Not as exciting.”

“A job is a job,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“I know,” Taeyong sighed, “Something else to add to my resume. Jongin introduced me to his friend Taemin though, and he said he would let me know of any overseas opportunities. I’d been avoiding anything that would take me to Korea, but I’m starting to change my mind on that.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded in understanding, “I remember Jongin talking about how it’d be easier if he just went to Korea for work, but he doesn’t want to leave his family. He’s the baby and spoiled, so you know.”

“Please, you’re the baby and spoiled,” Taeyong teased, giving his knee a poke.

“He was spoiled by his parents and his two older sisters,” Kyungsoo pleaded his case, “I was only spoiled by my parents. My brother didn’t spoil me.”

“Mhm,” Taeyong said, narrowing his eyes, teasing, “Well Jongin didn’t have to worry about not getting jobs, so he lucked out on not having to go over there.”

“He had to worry at the beginning,” Kyungsoo made sure to let him know. “But he managed to establish himself in the dance circles early on, which helped him. You’re still getting established, but you’ll get there. You’re too amazing at dancing to not be noticed.”

Kyungsoo had finally had a chance to see Taeyong dance professionally when he went to one of their studio’s showcases over the summer, and Kyungsoo hadn’t been able to get over how effortlessly and fluidly Taeyong moved, yet somehow he was also able to make every move look sharp. He found that after that performance, Kyungsoo’s feelings for Taeyong had tripled, and he became even more supportive of Taeyong’s career.

Taeyong gave him a fond look, then asked, “How do you keep positive waiting for it all to finally happen?”

“By knowing it will happen,” Kyungsoo said, not even having to think about it. “My acting career has no choice but to happen. I won’t take any other options. I mean, it was the only reason I joined a frat. There were connections, and I had to be near them. I know I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

“That may be the fundamental difference between us,” Taeyong acknowledged, looking at him in thought. “I wouldn’t have joined a frat even if I knew it could land me a big tour or dance movie or huge star’s video.”

Kyungsoo wondered if Taeyong was criticizing him or himself, but maybe it was just an observation.

“Jongin never would have either,” he told him, to make him feel better. “Everyone has to do what works best for them. I have confidence when it comes to my acting, but not when it comes to networking and marketing myself, so I did what I felt I had to do.”

“I admire that,” Taeyong said, surprising him. Maybe it hadn’t been a criticism of him then. “Back home, there was less competition, and I was told I had real talent. But then I came here, and everyone has a real talent, and it made me start doubting that I was going to make this happen for myself.”

“Don’t ever doubt yourself,” Kyungsoo told him, reaching out to hold his hand. “You literally just started your journey. You haven’t even been in LA for a year. It’s going to happen. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Taeyong smiled at him and squeezed his hand back, then said, “I’m hoping to get to that level of knowing it will happen.”

“I wouldn’t date someone who wasn’t going to make it happen,” Kyungsoo teased, giving him a smirk that made Taeyong chuckle.

“Well in that case,” Taeyong said, threading their fingers, and then getting lost in thought again, “I really want to get on Jongin’s level. The choreography he’s coming up with for Summer Kyle is incredible. Lisa says that she hasn’t seen him this inspired in a while.”

Kyungsoo smiled, knowing that was true from how excited Jongin sounded every time he talked about it.

“He didn’t think he could do it,” Kyungsoo told him. “He was really worried about it, which was dumb, of course he was going to be great at it.”

“The idea that Jongin has doubts about his talents makes me feel better,” Taeyong said, chuckling, “That sounds awful.”

It did, but Kyungsoo understood, “I get that. It’s actually good to know that we all have self-doubt. Knowing that those that we admire overcome it to do great things means we can too. It’s not an excuse. We all have self-doubt. Push it to the side and try anyway.”

“Exactly,” Taeyong nodded, “Thank you.” He leaned in to give Kyungsoo an appreciative kiss, which Kyungsoo was more than pleased to receive. When he pulled away, he asked him, “Do I get you for the whole night or do you have to run off to do some frat thing?”

“Nah, I let Logan known that I had my audition today, so I’m free of all duties,” Kyungsoo told him. “I’m all yours. We can order food for dinner and watch a movie if you want.”

“Sounds perfect,” Taeyong told him, giving him another kiss.

There was a knock on his door, and Kyungsoo looked over, knowing that if it was Baekhyun, he would have said something along with the knock or just barged in by now.

“Come in?” Kyungsoo said.

The door opened and Chanyeol peeked in, looking a little sheepish, “Hey, didn’t want to bother you if you were in the middle of something.”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “We’re just talking.”

“Oh, good,” Chanyeol said. Kyungsoo looked at him with curiosity. “I was getting ready to leave, to head to Nayeon’s,” he qualified as if it was important for him to do so, “so I just wanted to say ‘bye.’”

“Oh, okay, have fun,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Yeah, I will,” Chanyeol said like he needed to confirm that for him. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”

“Bye,” Kyungsoo said, and Taeyong told him “bye” as well, and Chanyeol said “bye” to him as well before he left, closing the door again.

Kyungsoo was so amused by Chanyeol sometimes, and he honestly didn’t even know why, but as Taeyong asked him a question, he found it hard to not have a soft smile on his face.

“Do you have a fancy formal you have to attend?” Taeyong asked, seeming to find the idea funny.

“I do, but it’s not until later in the semester,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a little poke on the side for his funny question. “Our next party is a Stoplight party with several sororities. Thanks to you, I get to wear red and not have to worry about getting hit on by sorority girls.”

“What?” Taeyong asked confused.

“Yeah, that’s what I said when I was told,” Kyungsoo agreed, sighing as he began to explain yet another ridiculous event his fraternity was throwing. “So, people come dressed wearing colors of a stoplight: green, yellow, red. If you wear green, it means you’re single and ready to mingle, and mingle on Greek Row always means hook up, as I’ve learned. If you wear yellow, it means it’s complicated, which according to Logan means you aren’t in a relationship but don’t want to hook up. And then red is for those of us who are taken.”

Taeyong smiled, and Kyungsoo realized that they had never actually discussed labels or whether or not they were exclusive now, but Kyungsoo didn’t care because there was no way in hell that he was wearing green or yellow to this thing anyway.

“That sounds ridiculous,” Taeyong said, not seeming to care that Kyungsoo had said he was taken by him. “I can’t wait for all of your sordid details. Is everything your frat does about hooking up?”

“Like ninety percent of it is,” Kyungsoo said, thinking about it, “And ten percent is actual community service stuff. No, five percent is community service stuff, the other five percent is school spirit stuff.” He then looked back at Taeyong and said, “Basically everyone wants to get laid.”

Taeyong laughed, then wiggled his eyebrows at him and said, “Relatable.”

“Ha,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a grin, “And you said frat life wouldn’t suit you.”

“Maybe just knowing one frat boy suits me,” Taeyong said, shifting so he could grab Kyungsoo and take him down with him, kissing him the whole way.

Kyungsoo loved how comfortable he felt with Taeyong now. It hadn’t been overnight, but he found himself being less annoyed by some of his judgmental observations and had started figuring out that they came from Taeyong’s attempts at understanding his own reality at the moment.

Taeyong had no family in the area, and he didn’t talk to his family in Canada or Korea at all. In a weird way, Taeyong was alone, which oddly made Kyungsoo think about Yixing, and how he was also alone now that his parents had disowned him.

He wanted to understand and be there for Taeyong, and possibly Yixing if the time came that he reached out to him again, but Kyungsoo had a hard time relating. His parents were a part of his life so intricately that he couldn’t imagine feeling like he couldn’t depend on them or reach out to them if needed. It made Kyungsoo think that Taeyong was brave, and for that matter, the new Yixing, as well.

***

When the weekend arrived, Kyungsoo had invited Taeyong to stay with him at his parents’ house since he’d be coming to Jongdae’s party with him. Kyungsoo then had to scramble to tell his parents about Taeyong in the first place.

It’s not that he hadn’t wanted to mention him to them, but since they weren’t official or anything like that, and still technically just dating, it didn’t seem like a big deal. So, he simply had said that he was bringing a friend that they hadn’t met yet, and his parents had said they’d get the guest room ready, which had made Kyungsoo have to stifle a giggle.

Once they arrived at his parents’ house, Kyungsoo opened his trunk so they could pull out their overnight bags, and he noticed Taeyong staring at the house, blinking.

“Don’t be scared,” Kyungsoo told him with a chuckle, “My parents are really chill people.”

“I’m just...” Taeyong blinked again, “taking in how nice the house you grew up in is.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, realizing he should’ve warned Taeyong about that since those things tended to bother him so much. “It looks like all the other houses on this street,” Kyungsoo offered, closing the trunk and handing Taeyong his bag.

“Everything is so perfectly manicured,” Taemin said, looking up and down the street.

“I take it your neighborhood wasn’t like this,” Kyungsoo remarked as he led him up the path to the front door.

“I grew up in a high rise,” Taeyong told him. “And not the super nice expensive ones you see in all the postcards of Vancouver.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo said as he unlocked the door, “If you think this is nice, you should see Dae’s house. It makes mine look average in comparison.”

“That’s crazy,” Taeyong said, shaking his head as he followed him in.

“I’m home!” Kyungsoo called out, toeing his sneakers off and leaving them on the rack that his parents had by the door.

Taeyong did the same then followed him through the house remarking on how nice everything was.

His mom came out of her office and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek then looked at Taeyong as Kyungsoo introduced them.

“It’s good to meet you,” she said, giving him a welcoming smile. “I’ve set up the guest room for you, but let me know if you need anything else. I left towels on the bed for you.”

“Thank you so much,” Taeyong said, very humbly, “Thank you for letting me stay here tonight.”

“Of course,” his mother said, “Kyungsoo’s friends are always welcome. Are you from the frat?”

“No,” Kyungsoo said, letting out a soft laugh, “He’s a dancer at Jongin’s studio. Jongin introduced us.”

“Oh, how nice,” Kyungsoo’s mother said, “Jongin’s like our other son.”

“He’s amazing,” Taeyong agreed.

Kyungsoo showed Taeyong where the guest room was, and then once he had put his bag down, he took him to his room.

“This is exactly how I pictured your room to look,” Taeyong mentioned, smiling at the movie posters that hung on the wall.

“Well, it looks like my room in the apartment,” Kyungsoo said as he pulled out the clothes he intended to wear that night, “so that wasn’t much of a stretch.”

“I guess,” Taeyong nodded, looking at the framed pictures Kyungsoo kept over his desk. “Is this your brother?”

Kyungsoo looked up to see which photo he was pointing at and then nodded, “Yep, Seungsoo.”

“You never really talk about him,” Taeyong pointed out, glancing at other pictures.

“I can talk more about him if you’d like,” Kyungsoo teased him, hanging up his shirt and pants in his closet.

“Do you guys get along?” Taeyong asked, sitting in his desk chair and watching him.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo confirmed. “We grew up like normal brothers, playing, fighting over the remote, having each other’s backs when we were up to no good and were trying to hide it from our parents. The usual.”

Taeyong smiled at this, then asked, “Does he still live in the area?”

“Not at the moment.” Kyungsoo finished up and sat on his bed to look at Taeyong. “My parents have high expectations for us, so he decided to go away for college so he could get away from them. He’s at Cornell. He graduates this spring.”

“Cornell?” Taeyong said, eyebrow raised, “That’s an Ivy, right?”

“Yep,” Kyungsoo said, letting out a soft snort, “He got the brains from both of my parents. He got into all eight Ivies and chose Cornell because they have one of the most admired undergrad programs for Architecture, which is what he’s majoring in. After he graduates, he’s hoping to go to Harvard for grad school, but he also applied to Columbia and MIT as backups just in case.”

“That’s incredible,” Taeyong said, looking impressed. “No wonder you feel like you’re the dumb one.”

“I don’t feel that I am. I _know_ that I am the dumb one,” Kyungsoo laughed.

“You go to USC,” Taeyong said, looking ready to roll his eyes, “Jongin told me that was like a West Coast Ivy.”

“I got in as a theatre major because of my audition,” Kyungsoo reminded him, “Not my grades.”

“Uh huh,” Taeyong said, not believing him for a moment.

After they relaxed a bit, they headed downstairs to eat, Kyungsoo’s mom having made them all some lunch. His dad arrived just then, greeting everyone and going to change out of his golfing clothes before joining them at the table.

Kyungsoo introduced Taeyong to him and then asked his dad, “How was your golfing this morning? You know, now that Jennie’s dad forces Jongin to go golfing with him every weekend, you should join them and save Jongin from his misery.”

“But who would save me from my misery?” Kyungsoo’s dad said, reaching for the bowl of kimchi.

“You did golf with him once, didn’t you?” Kyungsoo’s mom asked him as she mixed the rice and meat on her plate around to blend it all together better.

“By accident,” his dad said. “I don’t belong to the same club as him, but a friend of mine does and he invited me as a guest to play the course. In the club house, we were introduced. That man does love to talk after he’s had a few drinks in him.”

“I think you should go crash his country club anyway,” Kyungsoo joked.

“You should go and save Jongin,” his mother then said, pointing her chopsticks in his direction. “Your father deals with enough.”

Kyungsoo snickered then said, “There’s no saving Jongin.”

“What is it that you guys are doing tonight for Jongdae’s birthday?” his mother then asked him.

Kyungsoo added more gochujang to his rice and replied, “We’re going to a _noraebang_.”

“That sounds fun,” his father said. “I haven’t been to a _noraebang_ in ages. We should go,” he said to his wife.

His mother laughed and said, “I’d rather go golfing with Jennie’s dad than hear you sing.”

Kyungsoo almost choked on his rice from the laugh he let out, and Kyungsoo’s father waved his wife off and said she’s the only person that doesn’t like his singing.

After lunch, Kyungsoo and Taeyong hung out in the family room, watching TV as they sat next to each other and relaxing and resting before they had to get ready to go out that night. His mother had gone back to her office, and his father had gone to take a nap, so Kyungsoo threaded his fingers in Taeyong’s hair and sighed in contentment, watching an anime that Taeyong had wanted him to check out.

“Your parents really are cool,” Taeyong then remarked, and Kyungsoo smiled, a little proud about it.

“Told you,” Kyungsoo replied.

“Do they know we’re… you know, more than just friends?” Taeyong looked at him, probably looking for a reaction.

Kyungsoo’s reaction was simply his eyes widening a little like he had been caught hiding something.

“I haven’t,” he said, and then sucked some air between his teeth as he tried to figure out how to explain. “I guess because we’ve been dating and seeing where everything goes, I figured I wouldn’t tell them until we made things official.”

Taeyong smiled and nodded. “It makes sense,” he said.

“I mean, I can tell them if you want,” Kyungsoo shrugged, “But I don’t know what to call it exactly. I guess I could just say you’re the guy I’m dating.”

“Or you could just say I’m your boyfriend,” Taeyong offered, and Kyungsoo looked at him to see if he was joking. His calm smile made it clear he wasn’t, and Kyungsoo’s stomach flipped.

“I could,” Kyungsoo said, not able to stop the smile forming on his face, “If you are.”

“Do you want me to be?” Taeyong challenged back, and Kyungsoo smiled even wider for some stupid reason.

“Do you want to be?” he threw back, and Taeyong’s smile widened more too.

“I do if you want to,” Taeyong stated.

“Same,” Kyungsoo said and had no idea what that meant. “So, we’re boyfriends, right?” he tried to clarify.

Taeyong laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I mean, you’re wearing a red shirt to your stoplight party, so I guess we need to make things official so that you’re not a liar.”

Kyungsoo may have blushed a little, now realizing that he had certainly caught that when they had talked about it before.

“I mean,” Kyungsoo tried to explain, “I already felt like we were together like that.”

“Me too,” Taeyong assured him, squeezing his hand a bit more.

“Have you ever had a boyfriend before?” Kyungsoo then thought to ask, remembering that Taeyong was bi and realizing they had never talked about it before.

“Kind of,” Taeyong said, dismissively. “It was more of a fling.”

“My first relationship was weird too,” Kyungsoo sighed. “He was in the closet and refused to acknowledge we were together, so even though he was technically my first boyfriend, he wasn’t really.”

Taeyong looked at him in understanding and squeezed his hand again, “I promise that I’ll be a better boyfriend than that jerk.”

Kyungsoo chuckled, but returned the sentiment, “I promise to be a better boyfriend than the just-a-fling guy.”

Taeyong cracked up at that and looked around to make sure they were alone before sneaking a kiss onto Kyungsoo’s lips. They relaxed into each other, and Kyungsoo smiled, feeling giddy that he now had an actual, real, mutual boyfriend.


	10. Chapter 10

The _noraebang_ they had picked had accommodated all of their requests, reserving them the largest room and providing bottles of soju and Hite, which were set up on the center table along with bottles of champagne and a birthday cake that Jennie and Jongin had picked up to bring with them. They had put up a banner that read “Happy Birthday” and the staff bustled about, bringing shot glasses and cups and checking in with Jennie on any other needs.

Jongin wanted everything to be perfect, for once more than Jennie did, because he wanted Jongdae to let loose and have an incredible night. He wasn’t sure if that would be possible with Wendy and her friends attending as well, but since Wendy had decided to keep living with him on campus, things had gotten a little less tense between her and Jongdae. It wasn’t perfect yet, but the last couple of times Jongin had visited them, she had spoken to Jongdae like a normal person and even smiled at a joke he had made.

“Hey, guys!” Jisoo said, coming into the room with a wrapped gift and waving at them.

“You made it,” Jennie said, getting up to give her a big hug, and then telling her where she could put the gift. “Oh my God, I love your leggings.”

“I just got these on Melrose,” Jisoo said, showing off the leather black leggings that seemed to sparkle a bit in the light. “

“I love them,” Jennie said, instantly taking out her phone to get a picture of Jisoo and her whole look.

Jongin hadn’t remembered inviting Jisoo, and when Jennie turned to him to show him the picture, he raised an eyebrow at Jennie.

“We needed more girls,” Jennie said with a cute one-armed shrug and a small smile, knowing well why he was giving her that look.

Kyungsoo and Taeyong arrived right after, followed by Chanyeol and Nayeon, and Jongin watched carefully as everyone said hello to each other, noticing the way that Kyungsoo and Chanyeol, once again, lit up at the sight of the other. How their significant others never noticed was beyond him.

“Your hair is so cool,” Jennie complimented Taeyong. “I miss the blue, but I like this a lot too.”

“Thanks,” Taeyong said, running his hand a little self-consciously through his red hair, “I’ve actually been trying to convince Soo to dye his too.”

Jongin laughed as he poured soju shots for them and said, “Soo has never dyed his hair in his entire life. Every time we’ve tried to get him to do it, he gives us that look. You know which look.”

“Yeah, he gave me that look,” Taeyong said with a chuckle, “But I’m still trying.”

“It’s not going to happen,” Kyungsoo said, holding his ground like the stubborn man that he was. “I would look weird with dyed hair.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Taeyong said, reaching over to run his fingers through the side of Kyungsoo’s hair. Jongin instinctively glanced toward Chanyeol to see his reaction, and just as he suspected, Chanyeol’s eyes were glued to the action. “I think like a nice, deep auburn would look amazing on you.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol agreed, and Jongin’s eyes widened a little, as did Kyungsoo’s. “I think that would look really cool.”

“I think so too,” Jennie agreed, egging him on as well, “You should try it.”

Kyungsoo glanced at Jennie, then back at Chanyeol, who was smiling at him, or maybe the idea of Kyungsoo with auburn hair, and then Kyungsoo looked back at Taeyong and said, “We’ll see.”

Jongin knew he was staring at Kyungsoo in disbelief, and he tried to focus on passing out shots to keep from flat out telling Kyungsoo that he was so see-through.

“Baekhyun’s here,” Kyungsoo said, looking at his phone and then smiling at Taeyong, “You’re finally going to get to meet Lucas.”

“I haven’t met him yet either,” Jongin said, already anticipating the guy Baekhyun had become obsessed with. The way that neither he nor Kyungsoo could stop talking about him made Jongin more curious than he normally would have been.

“Me too,” Jennie said, looking excited, “I want to see him in person. He’s so beautiful in all the pictures Baekhyun’s showed us.”

“He’s really attractive,” Nayeon confirmed for her.

“Baekhyun has impeccable taste,” Jisoo said with a smirk as she held a champagne glass and scrolled through her phone.

“You’re biased,” Chanyeol said to her, and she smirked some more.

Baekhyun, who could never enter a room like a normal person, came in dancing and singing along to the song that was being belted out from the room across from them. “We have to do that song,” he then announced.

“I want to hear you try for that note,” Chanyeol teased him, and Baekhyun gave them a demonstration that made them all cover their ears.

Then he finally got around to introducing his date, “For those of you who haven’t met him yet, this is Lucas.”

And then Baekhyun took the liberty to introduce Lucas to those he didn’t know, starting with Jongin, who shook his hand and told him, “So happy to finally meet you.” He did have to admit that he was definitely attractive, with strong features and very pronounced eyebrows and full lips.

“It’s so nice to meet you too,” Lucas said, in a way that was more excited than he probably needed to be. “Baekhyun said you’re the best dancer in the whole world.”

“Definitely not the whole world,” Jongin chuckled.

“That’s Jisoo,” Baekhyun pointed out to Lucas.

“Oh, the other best friend!” Lucas said, waving at her as she waved at him, stuck in the corner of the booth and not able to reach across for a handshake.

“He has lots of those,” Kyungsoo told Lucas. “Baekhyun considers everyone his best friend.”

“Everyone is my best friend,” Baekhyun nodded, “Until the birthday boy gets here, and then he’s my only best friend. But when he leaves, everyone becomes my best friend again.”

“That makes sense,” Lucas said nodding, taking this all in very seriously, and Jongin now understood why Kyungsoo always cracked up when talking about him and why he was cracking up now.

Baekhyun agreed and then pointed out Jennie, “And this is Jennie.”

Lucas’s smile went away, and he blinked then said, “You’re Jennie Kim.”

“I am,” Jennie said with a laugh, “And you’re Lucas… what’s your last name?”

“Wong,” Lucas said, not believing she asked him.

“You’re Lucas Wong,” she said with a big smile.

“I love you,” Lucas said to her, “Baek, you know I love her. You didn’t tell me she’d be here.”

Baekhyun was cackling to himself, and then he said, “Surprise!”

“Wait, is this my birthday?” Lucas then asked, without a single hint of irony, and Kyungsoo dropped his head onto the table as he died of laughter.

Jongin did his best to quiet his snicker.

“No, Luc,” Baekhyun said, trying hard to keep from chuckling so much, “But I wanted it to be a surprise that you saw her because I knew how much you loved her.” And then Baekhyun said to Jennie, “He really loves you.”

“I’m so happy you love me,” Jennie said to Lucas, and then she giggled.

“Oh my God,” Lucas said, putting his hand on his chest.

“Soo, you need some oxygen?” Chanyeol asked him when Kyungsoo hadn’t raised his head yet.

Kyungsoo just waved him off, trying to catch more breaths so he could pull himself together.

As everyone settled in with drinks, Jongin noticed Jennie looking through the catalog of songs.

“I think all the couples should do at least one lovey-dovey duet,” Jennie demanded, and then she seemed excited by a selection and turned to Jongin. “Babe, I want to do ‘Senorita.’ The Shawn and Camila song.”

“That was gonna be my choice,” Baekhyun said grabbing a book to look through also, then he laughed and said he was joking when Lucas looked surprised.

Jongin wished Baekhyun would take the choice away from him, but instead he nodded at Jennie and told her they’d do it.

Moments later, Rosé came waltzing in with her girlfriend, Shay, and they all had to introduce themselves again. Jongin was happy to finally meet the roommate/girlfriend as well, and Jennie remarked that Shay was even more gorgeous in person than in the Instagram pics that Rosé posted of her.

“Thank God you didn’t bring my brother,” Chanyeol said to Rosé once she had settled into the booth.

“He’s parking the car,” Rosé told him as she reached for the Hite, and Chanyeol whined.

Sehun came in right after with a guy that Jongin had never met, and just as with all the other new people, they were all introduced to his roommate, Johnny.

Jongin then looked at Jennie, motioning toward how there was virtually no empty space for the birthday boy and his wife, and looked back at her with the kind of smile that let her know that she should have told him they’d need a bigger venue.

“It’ll be fine,” she told him, giving him a playful kiss, “It’s more fun with a lot of people.”

When Jongdae finally did arrive, he looked extremely surprised to see the amount of people present, and Jongin yelled “Surprise!” at him, then couldn’t help but crack up at this mess. Yeah, it would be more fun with a lot of people, but he hadn’t wanted to make Wendy and her friends too uncomfortable by being so severely outnumbered. He really hoped the night ended up going just fine.

“Happy birthday to you!” Rosé started clapping and singing as she got up since people wanted to get out of the booth to give Jongdae a proper birthday hug.

“Wait, not yet,” Jennie told her, laughing.

Jongin managed to get out of the corner he was stuck in and gave Jongdae a big hug wishing him a happy birthday. Jongdae gave him a tight squeeze back then thanked him. He then said hi to Wendy, Seulgi, and Joy, who had all arrived together and already looked overwhelmed.

“I’m glad you guys made it,” Jongin told them with a smile, hoping they relaxed a little.

Instead, Seulgi grabbed the sleeve of Jongin’s shirt and pulled him closer then asked, “Is that Jennie Kim?”

“You mean, my girlfriend?” Jongin verified, looking at her weird. “Yes?”

“Why is she here?” Seulgi asked, looking at Joy with disbelief.

“Uh… because she’s my girlfriend?” Jongin tried again, wondering what she wasn’t getting.

“Yeah, but she’s a celebrity,” Seulgi pointed out.

“Seulgi hates her,” Joy then said, and Seulgi told Joy to shut up.

“Why do you hate my girlfriend?” Jongin pouted.

“I don’t know her like that,” Seulgi defended. “I just think it’s obnoxious that she has to show off every single part of her life every hour of the day. You don’t find that annoying?”

“She’s a social media influencer,” Jongin said, looking at her like she was stupid. “That’s what she does.”

“That’s fine, but still,” Seulgi said, then waved him off and said, “Ugh, never mind.”

Jongin tried to not roll his eyes, and instead assessed the situation to see if they were going to need to ask for chairs to be brought in.

“Babe, tell them to bring the appetizers,” Jennie said to him over the animated conversations and laughs happening.

Jongin hit the call button on the wall, and leaned against it, watching as people poured soju for each other and discussed what songs they wanted to sing.

The manager stuck his head in and Jongin let him know they were ready for appetizers and if there were extra chairs that they could bring in.

“Hey,” Jongdae said to him, “Can we get some water and soda as well?”

“And soda and water,” Jongin added. The manager nodded and disappeared, and Jongin walked over to the side of the table so he could try and talk with Jongdae, even though he was sitting next to Kyungsoo now, having let Wendy, Seulgi, and Joy take the end. “Let me know if you want anything specific off the menu. Whatever you want, you get.”

“I love my birthday,” Jongdae said with a cheesy grin. “I want one of everything.”

“You got it,” Jongin laughed, and Jongdae told him he was kidding.

But then Jongdae looked at Wendy and asked her if she wanted anything, and handed her the menu, but she told him she was fine.

“Wendy,” Jongin then said to her, giving her his best smile, “I used all my charms to get your mom to babysit tonight, so you better have fun. I worked hard for you to have fun.”

Jongdae laughed and Wendy gave him a smile and nodded, which made Jongin feel a little relieved for the moment. He thought it was a good sign that she had put effort into how she looked, this being the first time he had seen her dressed up and wearing makeup since she had come back into their lives.

“Don’t worry,” Seulgi said, putting her arm around Wendy, “We’re going to make sure she has a great time.”

“Good,” Jongin said, realizing that a couple of staff members had come into the room and were wanting to talk with him. “Hey, what’s up?” he asked them.

“We can separate the tables,” one of them said, indicating with his arm how the tables pulled apart. “So that people in the back of the booth can get in and out easier.”

“Oh, that would be perfect,” Jongin said, and he instructed everyone to grab the drinks so the guys could work their magic.

The two guys separated the table out, taking out a middle partition, which created a small walkway between the tables.

“Perfect, because I needed to use the restroom,” Jisoo said, standing up now that she was free.

“I’ll go with you,” Rosé said, getting up as well.

Jongin thanked the guys, who left just as staff-members came in with the appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks, setting things down, and Jongin indicating that the soda could be placed in front of Wendy and her friends.

“Yo, these mozzarella sticks are bomb,” Baekhyun said, eating as he tapped the tambourine against his hip.

“These sweet potato fries are really good,” Chanyeol said, already holding a mic.

“Baek, you should go first,” Jennie decided, pointing at him. “Since you’re going to be a famous rock star one day.”

“Pick me a song,” Baekhyun told her, and then said, “No, wait! Chanyeol! Let’s do ‘Uptown Funk’!”

“Yes!” Jennie said, and everyone else agreed that it’d be a good one to start the party.

Jongin went to go sit back beside Jennie, looking over the appetizers on the table and choosing to start with some of the fried tofu.

“Selfie,” Jennie said, getting her phone ready, “Before we get too trashed and no longer look this good.”

“Even when trashed, we still look good,” Jongin told her, dropping a kiss on her cheek before pressing his own against hers and looking at the camera. The smile she had on her screen let him know that she had loved that comment.

“Yeol, hit the lights,” Baekhyun said into the mic, and Jongin looked over, knowing they were about to be entertained.

Chanyeol got the disco strobe lights going as “Uptown Funk” started playing, and Baekhyun suddenly thought he was Bruno Mars, hips swaying and strutting included.

It got the party started on the right foot and set the tone as each person that went up next tried to outdo the other in how ridiculous of a song they could pick or how they could ham it up even more. After not enough drinks, Jennie told them it was their turn, and Jongin knocked back another shot of soju before getting up to do his best at singing Shawn Mendes.

Jennie loved attention, that much was obvious, and the mix of lights, music, and booze had put her in quite the mood, doing her best Camila Cabello impersonation as she slid up and down his body like they were on stage at the AMAs performing. Part of him wanted to laugh, but the other part of him was enjoying this, and he made sure to run his hands down her side at the appropriate times and pull her into him, which got the room whistling and hollering in a way that made him blush just the tiniest bit.

When they were done, Jennie gave him a kiss, which got more whistles and teasing in their direction, and Jongin looked at Jongdae, the loudest perpetrator, and said, “You’re next.”

“No, I’m not drunk enough yet,” Jongdae said, laughing.

Jennie headed over to that side of the table, grabbing herself more champagne and smiling at Wendy as she said, "Did you not have champagne?”

Wendy looked surprised that she was speaking to her, and Jongdae answered instead, “She’s still nursing.”

“Oh,” Jennie said, her eyes going big as she smiled, “That makes sense. Hannah is honestly the prettiest baby. I’m so in love with her even though I haven’t met her yet, but now that I’ve met you, I know where she gets it from. You’re so pretty.”

Wendy tucked her long black hair behind her ear and said, “Thank you,” in a way where Jongin thought she may have been playing along and not actually believing Jennie. It was common for people to think that Jennie was fake, even though she never really was.

“I love your necklace,” Jennie then pointed out, leaning against the table to get a better look at the small cross pendant on a chain.

“She’s worn it since she was twelve,” Jongdae said with a big smile.

“My parents gifted it to me after my baptism,” Wendy explained, letting her fingers play with it as she explained.

“That is so sweet,” Jennie said, looking sobered by this.

Baekhyun was back on the mic and got everyone’s attention saying that he and Lucas were now going to do their couple song, and Jongin went to sit back down for whatever spectacle was going to follow. He ended up sitting beside Kyungsoo, who was laughing about something with Sehun when he abruptly stopped and looked toward the front as if in shock.

Jongin had no idea what the song was until Baekhyun started singing, and as the whole room realized that they had picked that cheesy song from the first _High School Musical_ movie, everyone either started laughing or telling them to turn it off.

But Kyungsoo’s surprised expression turned to Chanyeol, who was looking at him in exactly the same way, and while everyone was distracted by Baekhyun adlibbing “Ohhh” behind Lucas’s verse, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were smiling at each other, in their own world, that only them, and unfortunately Jongin, were a part of.

As Baekhyun and Lucas started dancing together while singing the chorus, Jongin noticed Kyungsoo start singing along… to Chanyeol. And Chanyeol started singing along as well… to Kyungsoo. Taeyong was too busy laughing at the spectacle behind the mics, and Nayeon was swaying along as she watched as well. Everyone was looking at Baekhyun and Lucas, and Jongin looked around, desperate for someone else to be witnessing this so he wasn’t alone.

And then he spotted Jisoo, looking at Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, and Jongin caught her eye. The two traded unbelieving looks and then Jisoo sighed, and Jongin nodded, feeling her frustration.

“Wendy’s next,” Jennie then announced, still hanging out over there with Wendy and her crew, “I just found out she’s a real singer.”

“Hey, I’m a real singer,” Baekhyun said, pretending to be offended.

“Yeah, but she’s a good one,” Jennie pointed out, taking the mic out of his hand to give to Wendy.

“I’m not…” Wendy said, shaking her head and waving her hand, clearly not wanting to sing.

“Babe, you’re a great singer,” Jongdae said, apparently having had enough drinks now to be her hype man. “I’ll sing backup if you want.”

“Do your couple song,” Jennie said with a little clap.

“We don’t have a couple song,” Wendy said, in a way that stung Jongin, so he could only imagine how Jongdae felt, but Jongdae was a trouper, and he stood up and took her hand.

“Let’s find one then,” Jongdae said, leading her to the front with him, and Jennie gave Wendy the mic and sat in her spot next to Seulgi to watch.

“I know a song you can sing,” Joy then said, looking like she had a good idea, and she grabbed the controller to input it.

“Why this song?” Seulgi asked when it flashed on the screen.

“It’s one of Wendy’s favorites,” Joy explained with a big smile, “And it’s a duet, so it fits.”

“I love this song too,” Jongdae said, excited as he started singing Sam Smith’s part in “Dancing with a Stranger.”

Once Jongdae started singing, Wendy seemed to loosen up a bit as she watched him, and to Jongin it seemed that maybe she had a slight moment of remembering why she had liked him in the first place. When it was her turn to sing Normani’s part, Jongdae looked at her with the biggest smile Jongin had seen in a while, and Jongin knew that the one thing that Jongdae loved the most about Wendy had always been her voice.

And Jongin could understand why. Wendy’s vocal talent was impossible to deny. The way she hit every note, so steady and so clear, was something even Jongin had to admire.

“Oh my God,” Jennie said as she got up so Wendy could take her seat again once she was done, “I’m your biggest fan.”

“We need to duet on my album,” Baekhyun called out to her from across the room.

“That was incredible,” Kyungsoo then told her, and Wendy gave him a soft smile and thanked him, quickly grabbing her soda to take a drink.

Jisoo decided to break the couple song cycle by going next and performing “God Is a Woman” by Ariana Grande, which got all the girls singing along, Jennie even joining her for backing vocals. But Rosé and Shay brought the couple concept back when they decided to do “Work” by Rihanna and Drake, and when Rosé started grinding on Shay and attempting to twerk, Jongin decided it was time for a bathroom break.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t gone long enough because even though a new song was on with Sehun and Johnny doing their best to rap along to Migos, Rosé was now attempting to crawl on top of the table, which was full of food and drinks and didn’t have the room for this intended activity.

“Please don’t ruin the nachos,” Baekhyun said, pulling them out of her way.

“Get down before you hurt yourself,” Jisoo told her, pulling her back down before she could make any progress.

“I was trying to be Cardi B,” Rosé defended with a pout.

“But you’re so not,” Jisoo said, taking her hand to lead her away and to the back corner of the booth. Shay followed along, thanking Jisoo for taking care of that.

“I’m going to order some yogurt soju,” Jennie announced pressing the button. “Who wants some?”

The usual suspects all let her know they wanted some, and Jongin watched as Kyungsoo and Taeyong went to the front to do their couple song. Jisoo scooted over to him, crossing her arms.

“Fifty bucks your boy’s going to sing this song to mine instead,” Jisoo remarked.

“I’ll see your fifty and raise you fifty more that Taeyong won’t notice,” Jongin said with a snort.

“It’s unreal,” Jisoo said, looking dumbfounded by it all.

They began singing “Finesse” by Bruno Mars and Cardi B, which made Rosé yell out that she needed to join them, but Taeyong let her know that he had Cardi B’s part covered, which made Rosé pout then laugh and cheer him on.

Jongin and Jisoo both looked right at Chanyeol, who looked like he was on another planet, and Jongin wondered what was going through his mind. He then looked at Kyungsoo to see that sure enough, in the middle of singing, he kept glancing at Chanyeol, looking ready to giggle each time, which was ridiculous.

“Is he…,” Jisoo then said, which she then followed with “Oh my God.”

Jongin looked back at Chanyeol to see that he had his phone in his hand, and … yeah, he was totally recording this.

“Wow,” Jongin said, wishing he could understand what exactly was happening here.

“The gay jumped out, and he doesn’t even realize it,” Jisoo cracked, and Jongin snorted, attempting to hold in the laugh that wanted to come out.

Jongin then took his phone out to text Baekhyun, who he noticed was checking his phone.

_Jongin: Are you seeing this shit?_

_Baekhyun: Yeah, Soo’s great!_

_Jongin: No, look at Chanyeol._

Jongin looked up in time to see Baekhyun glance toward where Chanyeol sat and then his eyes widened and he put his hand over his mouth, before removing it to text back.

_Baekhyun: I CAN’T_

_Jongin: This is so ridiculous. Tell your best friend he’s gay._

_Baekhyun: He doesn’t listen! He’s like totally straight okay?_

_Jongin: I seriously can’t take this. Jisoo and I are disturbed._

_Baekhyun: Y’all could’ve left me out of it. I was in a blissful world until now._

_Jongin: I want everyone to suffer with me!_

_Baekhyun: Rude_

Jongin chuckled and put his phone back down to finish watching Kyungsoo, who slayed the song, to no surprise. Jongin had always been a fan of Kyungsoo’s voice, and as it turned out, Taeyong was a pretty good rapper.

“I just realized that instead of Happy Birthday,” Lucas then said, looking at Jongdae, “We should’ve said Happy Birthdae. Like with an ‘e’ instead of a ‘y’ because of your name.”

“Wouldn’t that be pronounced the same?” Seulgi asked him, raising her eyebrow.

“If Lucas said that it needs to be said in that way,” Jongdae stated, “Then that’s how it needs to be said. Lucas, show them how it’s done.”

“Happy Birthdae!” Lucas said, putting his hands out for emphasis.

“That sounded the same,” Seulgi pointed out, looking at Joy as if she was going crazy.

“Happy Birthdae!” Baekhyun followed, and everyone took turns saying it, giving Jongdae what he wanted, which was essentially another round of birthday wishes.

Chanyeol and Nayeon decided to go next, at Nayeon’s insistence that they hadn’t gone yet, and now it was Jongin and Jisoo’s turn to look at Kyungsoo, who had ended up sitting by Jongdae to watch. Nayeon ended up picking the song, which was “For You” by Rita Ora and Liam Payne, and Jongin watched Kyungsoo, who was completely tuned in.

As it turned out, Nayeon had a pretty cool voice, and Chanyeol’s voice was cool in its own way as well, deep and husky, which complemented Nayeon’s higher and jazzy voice really well. Kyungsoo had the biggest smile on his face as he watched, but thankfully, he didn’t pull his phone out to record it.

With the yogurt soju making its appearance, the party got its second wind, and more appetizers were ordered since the first-round ones had all been depleted.

With her yogurt soju in hand, Jennie found her way back to Jongin and sat on his lap, offering him the shot. Jongin took it, liking yogurt soju enough to drink it since the yogurt tempered the taste of the alcohol.

“Wendy and her friends are so nice,” Jennie then told him. “I just learned so much about them. Wendy can’t drink because she’s nursing, but Joy doesn’t drink at all.”

“Yeah, they’re super religious,” Jongin reminded her. “I keep worrying about what they’re thinking about this party.”

“They’re having fun,” Jennie assured him, with a smile and a nod. “I asked them. They’ve never been to a _noraebang_ with a big group like this and they said it’s all a bit crazy but entertaining. Wendy and Joy don’t have Insta, but Seulgi does and we followed each other.”

Jongin snorted at this, and when Jennie gave him a curious look, Jongin simply said, “Don’t you have enough followers, babe?” He’d call Seulgi a hypocrite to her face later.

“It wasn’t for that reason,” she said, shaking her head. “I really wanted to follow her. Do you know she dances too?”

“I did know that,” Jongin confirmed. Before Wendy and her friends had turned on them, they had all been pretty cool with each other, and Jongin and Seulgi had really bonded over dancing. Now he was civil with her, but he found it hard to completely forgive her for perpetuating lies about Jongdae at his church.

“I forget that you all know each other,” Jennie said, more to herself, and then her attention was caught by Jisoo waving her over to come closer to her.

Jennie got off Jongin’s lap and went to sit by Jisoo, then noticed that Rosé had managed to procure some contraband from her purse. He had a momentary panic set in as he looked toward Wendy and company. Had they not been there, he wouldn’t have cared since this happened at pretty much every party, but with them there, his senses were suddenly heightened.

He supposed it’d be fine as long as no one brought attention to it, and he hoped one of the staff members didn’t come in right then.

Jongin scooted over to be closer to them and said, “You guys couldn’t do this in the bathroom?”

“I hate doing lines off bathroom sinks,” Rosé mentioned, cutting up the coke with her credit card. Jongin swore that for all of Rosé’s rebelliousness and independence, she actually liked being a cliché.

He watched Rosé do the lines first, followed by Shay, then Jisoo, then Jennie, and then shook his head when they offered him the remaining line.

“Let the birthday boy have some,” Jennie said with a bright smile. “Jongdae!”

“What?” Jongin said, not believing she was drawing attention to them at the moment, and mostly not believing that she’d call Jongdae over to do this when his wife and her super religious friends were with her. Was he the only one that was freaking out about this? “Babe, no, Dae doesn’t do this kind of thing.”

“But it’s his birthday,” Jennie said, not understanding what the problem could be, “He should have the best birthday high ever.”

“It’s true,” Rosé said, creating another line out of nowhere so that there were now two, “There’s nothing like a birthday high.”

“What’s up?” Jongdae asked, bouncing over to them, and Jongin wanted to tell him to run, but instead, he pulled him down to sit between him and Jennie so that he wasn’t attracting more attention.

“Rosé saved a line for you so you could have the best birthday high,” Jennie said, giggling, clearly starting to feel the effects herself.

“Oh,” Jongdae said, surprised, “I’ve never done coke before.”

“You don’t have to,” Jongin told him. There might have been a small plea in his voice. He could only imagine what Wendy’s reaction would be to a high Jongdae.

“You should try it at least once,” Rosé, in all her horrible words of non-wisdom, said.

“It’s never as good as the first time,” Jisoo pointed out. “So, you might as well have your best high on your 20th birthday.”

“That’s a good point,” Jennie agreed.

“This is my first time doing it too,” Shay told him, giving him a one-armed shrug and smile.

“How do you like it?” Jongdae asked, and Jongin then knew that there was no stopping his best friend. Jongdae liked trying new things, at least once, and since the opportunity had presented itself, he wasn’t going to turn it down.

“I don’t know yet, but I’m feeling good,” Shay answered, her smile getting wider as the drugs started to work their magic.

“Call Baek over,” Rosé told Jisoo. Jisoo took out her phone to text Baekhyun, and Jongin was grateful that she seemed to have a fraction of common sense instead of yelling across the room for him. Rosé then asked Jongdae if he wanted to give it a shot.

“Sure, why not,” Jongdae said, and Jennie and Jisoo scooted toward Jongin so that Jongdae could sit by Rosé as she gave him a quick tutorial on how to snort it.

Baekhyun and Lucas made it over just as Jongdae finished and said, “Whoa, that was trippy.” He wiggled his nose, and Rosé told him to rub the sides if it felt weird.

“Oh my God, I want to dance,” Shay then mentioned, wiggling her shoulders as she danced.

“We’ll dance in a sec,” Rosé told her, offering what was left to Baekhyun who passed it to Lucas without doing the line.

“You know I can’t even hold my liquor,” Baekhyun waved off when Rosé laughed at him. “I’m going to be so fucked tomorrow as it is.”

“Oh, that’s like really good quality,” Lucas said when he was done.

“It’s premium,” Rosé stated with pride, and then Jongin noticed Chanyeol heading over, clearly sensing what was going on in their now-crowded corner.

“Yeol, come join us,” Jisoo said, patting the spot that Jongdae had now vacated because he too was now in the mood to dance.

“Does Nayeon want any?” Rosé said, dropping more white powder onto her mirror.

“Jesus, how much of that shit do you have?” Jongin asked looking at the new baggie in her hand.

“It’s a party,” Rosé said as she used her credit card to cut up the lines again. “I brought enough to share.”

“Babe, let’s go do another song,” Jennie said, too excited by her high to sit next to him anymore. She stood up and took his hand to try and pull him up.

“Let’s all dance together,” Jongdae agreed, bouncing even more in his spot.

Nayeon came over, apparently after Chanyeol had texted her, and she also needed a quick tutorial, but by then Jongin was already leading all the high people over to the front to join in on the song that Kyungsoo, Taeyong, Sehun, and Johnny were randomly doing together.

And when the song ended, Jongin told them to pick another one, and since there were so many people dancing around, Taeyong suggested the old classic “Y.M.C.A.,” which Jongin had to acknowledge was the perfect party song for a group of people who were drunk and high.

Baekhyun and Jongdae had gotten a hold of the tambourines to bang them to the song, and Jongin, who knew the “pointing” dance to the song very well, took the initiative to do the simple choreography, Taeyong, Sehun, and Seulgi joining him as they managed to synchronize it perfectly. Jennie did not miss the chance to catch it on her phone, and Jongin was definitely going to ask for a copy of that to be sent to him.

For a small second, Jongin wished that Lisa could have been there with them. He had purposely not invited her, knowing that she probably wouldn’t have come anyway. But hanging out with all of her friends and having this much fun didn’t seem right without her. He wondered if Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé were feeling the same.

At some point, they got around to cutting Jongdae’s cake, and they made Jongdae open his presents, which after the fifth one brought about the comment, “I think you guys know I like art,” from Jongdae, causing them all to laugh.

By the end of the night, Jongin’s focus shifted to making sure everyone had places to sleep, primarily Jongdae. They all grabbed presents to help take to Wendy’s car, while Jongin grabbed Jongdae to help get him out of the place.

“Dude, you can’t go back to Wendy’s or your parent’s house like this,” Jongin told him as Jongdae walked into a wall and leaned on it for support.

“I’m soooo wasted,” Jongdae said, the smile on his face still very wide.

“I know,” Jongin said, and he looked at Wendy, who had come over and looked at Jongdae as if trying to process what she was supposed to do with him in this state. “I think he should stay with me tonight,” he told her.

Wendy nodded, her eyebrows furrowing a bit as Jongdae started singing “Y.M.C.A.” to the wall.

“Just tell your parents that Soo and I wanted to kidnap him for the night to have a best friend brunch in the morning,” Jongin offered, and Wendy nodded again.

“When did you become such a good liar?” Seulgi, who along with Joy had joined them to assess the situation, asked him.

“When did you become a hypocrite?” Jongin threw back with a smirk, and when Seulgi began to protest, he added, “You’re following my girlfriend on Insta now? I thought you hated her.”

Seulgi rolled her eyes and let out an “ugh” sound before explaining, “She’s nice, okay? Also, she made it impossible to not follow her with how excited she was about it.”

Jongin gave a very satisfied smile, which just made Seulgi say “ugh” again and take Wendy’s hand so they could all head outside.

Jongdae leaned against Jongin and said, “Nini, this was the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

Jongin chuckled and was grateful to see Kyungsoo hurrying over to help, “I’m glad you enjoyed tonight.”

“He can’t go back home like this,” Kyungsoo said, wrapping his arm around Jongdae’s waist to brace him better as they walked.

“I know,” Jongin told him, “I’m taking him home with me. Wendy’s going to tell her parents that the three of us stayed together tonight so that we could take him to a birthday brunch in the morning.”

“Good thinking,” Kyungsoo told him, steadying Jongdae as they walked down the steps of the entrance to the parking lot.

Jongin then noticed that Johnny was carrying Rosé, like actually carrying her as if she had passed out or something, but she was holding onto his neck, so it seemed she was pretty okay considering.

“You guys okay?” Jongin asked as they got closer to Sehun’s car.

“Yeah,” Sehun said, leaning back out from his backseat. “I was just putting a blanket down because I’m pretty sure Rosé is going to throw up on our way back home.”

“Smart,” Jongin told him. “Drive safe, okay? Text me if you need anything.”

“Will do,” Sehun told him, and then he helped Johnny get Rosé into the backseat as Shay held the door open and tried to help direct their actions.

When they reached Jongin’s car, he noticed that Baekhyun, Lucas, and Taeyong were talking by Baekhyun’s car, and then he noticed that Chanyeol and Nayeon were making out pretty heavily by Chanyeol’s car.

Jongin was not surprised when Kyungsoo lost a bit of his grip on Jongdae at the sight, but luckily Jongin had anticipated that and managed to get a better hold on Jongdae just in time.

“Oh, hey,” Baekhyun said, noticing Jongin’s dilemma. “Do you guys need help?” He rushed over and helped them get Jongdae into Jongin’s backseat, even though Jongdae was still rather alert and saying that he wanted Taco Bell. “You so have your hands full tonight,” Baekhyun laughed.

“You’re more than welcome to stay over as well to keep him company,” Jongin let him know. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive home?”

“We were just talking about that,” Baekhyun mentioned. “I can’t hold my liquor, so I can’t drive, and Lucas is too wasted to drive. Can we crash at one of yours?”

“You’re more than welcome to stay with me,” Jongin said, and he looked over at Kyungsoo, who hadn’t even heard Baekhyun’s question because he was too busy still staring at Chanyeol and Nayeon. “Soo? You good with that?”

“Huh?” Kyungsoo said, and Baekhyun smirked, knowing that Jongin had purposely done that to get Kyungsoo to stop staring at them. “Baek and Lucas need to crash somewhere tonight. They can stay with me unless you want them to stay with you.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, looking at Baekhyun in surprise, “You guys can totally stay with me. It probably makes more sense since Jongin’s taking Jongdae, so I have more room in my car.”

“Cool,” Baekhyun said, giving him a grateful smile, “I’ll let Lucas know.”

Baekhyun skipped back over to Lucas and Taeyong, and Jongin assessed Kyungsoo, who was now staring back at Chanyeol and Nayeon, who showed no signs of stopping.

“Are you okay to drive?” Jongin asked him.

“No,” Kyungsoo admitted, and then blinked and looked at Jongin, “I mean, Taeyong’s driving. He didn’t really drink a lot.”

“You guys!” Jongdae said, sticking his head out the window of the backseat. “Let’s go get chalupas!”

“Oh my God,” Kyungsoo said, cracking up, and Jongin closed his eyes to keep from laughing.

Jongin looked over at where Jennie and Jisoo were talking by Jisoo’s car, and Jongin waved over at her to let her know he was ready. Jennie and Jisoo exchanged hugs and then Jennie walked over to them once Jisoo was in her car.

“Jongdae wants Taco Bell,” Jongin explained to Jennie once she had joined them.

“If the birthday boy wants Taco Bell, then the birthday boy gets Taco Bell,” Jennie said with a big smile.

“You said it wrong,” Jongdae then said, “It’s birth-DAE!”

“Yeah, that’s my cue to go,” Kyungsoo said, as Jennie laughed at the joke and made sure to say it again for Jongdae.

Jongin gave Kyungsoo a hug and told him to be safe, but then as Kyungsoo glanced back toward the lovey-dovey couple getting hot and heavy in the parking lot, Jongin, as much as he didn’t want to, had the thought that he needed to check on them.

“Let me go make sure they’re okay to drive,” Jongin told Jennie, and he left Jongdae in her care.

When he got to Chanyeol and Nayeon, he made sure to clear his throat very loudly so that they knew they needed to break apart for a moment.

“Hey, Jongin,” Chanyeol said, looking a bit glassy-eyed, which made Jongin think he had done another line toward the end of the party.

“Hey,” Jongin said, mustering everything in him to give him a smile that didn’t look fake. “Just checking to see if you guys are okay to drive home.”

“I think I can drive us home,” Nayeon said, looking a little unsure about it, which is all Jongin needed to know.

He sighed and scratched the back of his head, wishing he hadn’t been suddenly put into this situation. He put his hand out and said, “Keys,” to her, and she seemed to need a moment to figure out what he wanted and where she could find them. And then she realized quickly that they were still in Chanyeol’s front pocket of his jeans. Nayeon giggled as she slid her hand in to take them out, and Chanyeol looked ready to combust into laughter but held it back.

“Here you go,” Nayeon said, putting them in Jongin’s hand. Then she looked at Chanyeol and said, “Jongin’s going to drive us home.”

“Not exactly,” Jongin said, motioning toward his car, “Hop in. We’re taking the birthday boy to Taco Bell and then crashing at my place.”

“Oh, how fun!” Nayeon said, grabbing Chanyeol’s hand to lead him.

Fun wasn’t the word that Jongin would’ve used, but he did chuckle at her sudden enthusiasm for this new plan and led them to the car, opening the back door for them to join a very excited Jongdae, who was so happy to have company in the backseat.

“They’re going to have to stay with us tonight too,” Jongin explained to Jennie once he got into the driver’s side.

“It’s going to be so fun,” she said, excited and also on the same page as everyone else.

He supposed he had no reason to not be on that page as well, but he still couldn’t help but be worried about everyone. “Was Jisoo okay to drive home?” he asked her as he started his car.

“She said she was fine,” Jennie confirmed. “But she’s not driving all the way up to LA. One of her sorority sisters lives nearby, and she’s heading to her place instead.”

That made Jongin feel a little better, but he knew he’d be sending her a text as well once they were home. He didn’t think he’d sleep okay that night until he knew everyone had made it safely to their destinations.

When they got to the Taco Bell drive-through, ordering turned into a huge mess as everyone kept adding things. Jongin felt frustrated, both for himself and for the poor employee taking their order, but he also couldn’t stop giggling about it, and he apologized profusely to the employee when he got to the window to pay.

After giving everyone permission to eat in the car, he focused on getting them home safely, and when he pulled into his family’s driveway, he let out a sigh of relief. He was exhausted, and he imagined everyone else was too, so he got them inside and tried to shush them, which ended up being a moot point as Jongin’s mom came out of the family room to see what was going on.

“Sorry,” Jongin told her, “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I wasn’t sleeping,” she waved off, taking in everyone’s condition.

“Everyone needed a place to crash,” he explained, knowing better than to lie to his parents. He never did it anyway since he never thought he could handle the disappointment that would come from them if he did so.

Unlike Wendy’s parents, who Jongin had no issues with lying to, he knew his parents were more aware of the situation, which is why he wasn’t surprised when his mother said, “I had a feeling this would happen. They can use your sisters’ rooms, and someone can take the couch in the den, and another person can take this couch if they want.”

“Dae, you take this couch,” Jongin said, mostly because he didn’t want to have to hold him up any longer.

“I love your couch,” Jongdae said, plopping onto it, laying on his belly and looking like he was hugging the large piece of furniture. “I love you, couch.”

“I’ll get him a blanket,” Jongin’s mother said, leaving them.

“So, who wants the other couch?” Jongin asked, looking at the remaining three people.

“I can take it,” Chanyeol volunteered, raising his hand with a smile. “That way the girls can have the beds.”

“Such a gentleman,” Nayeon said with a giggle, and Jennie cooed for some dumb reason.

“Okay,” Jongin nodded, then motioned for the girls to follow him upstairs.

He helped his mom get blankets and towels for everyone, placing Jongdae’s towel on the coffee table as he shook his head in amusement at how passed-out he already was.

“It looks like he had a fun night,” his mom remarked, as she covered him with the blanket.

Jongin gave a little smile and confirmed that he did, and then looked at him with fondness. “I think he really needed this. Just to give him a break. Tomorrow he’ll be back to dad and husband mode.”

“A very hungover dad and husband,” his mother pointed out once she was done. “But yes. It’s always good to take a break.” And then she looked at him as if assessing him to make sure he was fine. “Did you have fun as well?”

“I did,” Jongin said, nodding as his eyes crinkled a little. “I’m not gonna lie. It got a little crazy, but it was a good time. I’ll have to show you the video of us dancing to Y.M.C.A. tomorrow.”

“Oh dear,” his mother said with a chuckle, and she gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll look forward to it. Go get some sleep.”

“Night, mom,” Jongin told her, giving her a little squeeze and then heading upstairs to his room where Jennie sat waiting for him texting on her phone, her legs tucked under each other and looking adorable in his boxers and T-shirt that she had helped herself to from his drawers.

“Checking up on everyone?” he asked, taking off his shirt and tossing it over his desk chair.

“Yep,” Jennie said, giving him a smile, “Jisoo is at her friend’s house. Haven’t heard from Sehun yet.”

Jongin took off his belt and pants, and decided he was too tired to put on actual boxers or anything to sleep in, so instead he crawled into bed wearing only his underwear.

“Oh really?” Jennie said, raising her eyebrow at him. “I can’t spend the night with you, and you’re going to sleep like that?”

“I’m hot,” Jongin whined. “Are you not hot? I expended a lot of energy tonight.”

Jennie chuckled at him and leaned down to give him a kiss. Then she stayed there for a bit, as they both lay together for a moment, texting people. Kyungsoo let Jongin know that they had gotten to his place safely. Once Sehun confirmed that he had gotten Rosé and Shay to their apartment and that he and Johnny were now back at their dorm in one piece, Jennie gave Jongin a lingering goodnight kiss, then left to go to his sister’s room.

***

In the morning, coffee and breakfast sandwiches awaited them, courtesy of Jonghee.

“Mom said you guys were going to need hangover food,” she said, setting it all up on the dining table as Jongin yawned and plopped himself in one of the chairs. “This is the part where I remind you again that you are so spoiled. I only came home drunk once when I was a teenager, and I never did it again after the scolding I got for it from both mom and dad. Meanwhile, you get breakfast.”

She did sound pretty bitter, and Jongin chuckled and said, “No one told you to be born first.”

Jonghee gave him a non-amused look then said, “Shut up and eat,” before heading to the kitchen to toss the carryout bags.

“Coffee,” Jennie said, sounding like she was still asleep as she joined him.

Jongin did her the favor of pouring her the coffee out of the take-out box, and he even put her sugar and cream in for her, just how she liked it.

Jennie thanked him and took a life-saving sip, then smiled at Jonghee as she came back to the dining room.

“Did you bring the kids?” Jennie asked her, looking hopeful.

“No. They’re at home with their dad,” Jonghee told her as she sat and poured herself some of the coffee. “He wanted to take them to the movies a little later because some new Disney movie came out that they want to see. I have too much work to do today, so I told him they were all his for the day.”

“He’s such a good dad,” Jennie said in a warm way.

Jonghee nodded as she took her sip then said, “Yeah, I think I’ll keep him.”

“Even though mom hates him,” Jongin joked while eating his breakfast bagel sandwich.

“Mom loves him,” Jonghee told him with a sharp glare, and Jongin giggled, knowing he was being annoying.

Chanyeol joined them a moment later, saying hello a bit timidly, and Jongin introduced him to his sister.

“He goes to school with Soo and Dae,” Jongin explained after the introduction.

“Oh,” Jonghee nodded, filling up a cup with coffee and passing it to Chanyeol who thanked her politely.

A similar introduction occurred when Nayeon joined them, and Jongin looked over toward the living room, seeing if Jongdae had moved throughout the night. He got up to check on him, hoping he was still alive at least, and he noticed that he did appear to be breathing still, which was good.

“Dae,” Jongin said, nudging his arm and then rubbing it. “Wake up. There’s breakfast and coffee.”

“I love coffee,” Jongdae muttered, and Jongin broke into a big smile, but held his laugh back as he nudged him again.

It took about another five minutes before Jongdae actually opened his eyes and sat up, and as soon as he did, Jongin got out of the way because he looked ready to hurl.

Thankfully, Jongdae made it to the powder room in time, and Jongin rejoined the table and said, “Dae’s up,” as if they all hadn’t witnessed what had happened.

“I feel his pain,” Nayeon said, peeling back the wrapper from her sandwich. “I had to throw up in the middle of the night and again this morning.”

“I threw up this morning,” Chanyeol nodded, frowning at the memory. “I hate throwing up.”

“I hate throwing up too,” Jennie agreed, “I was fine this morning though. I don’t think I ended up drinking as much as usual because I was having so much fun talking and dancing. I forgot to drink.”

“Same,” Jongin nodded, and also because he had been paranoid about Wendy being there the whole night too.

“Mom, come eat,” Jonghee then said when his mom had come downstairs.

Jongin’s mom sat at the table with them and was introduced to Chanyeol and Nayeon as well. His mom had said it was nice to meet them, but then she and Jonghee got caught up in talking about the restaurant and the work they had to do that day.

When Jongdae finally came to the table, he looked a little less green, and he sat in the chair next to Jennie and put his head on the table.

“Poor Dae,” Jennie said, reaching over to rub his head as she smoothed his hair down.

“He’ll be fine,” Jongin said, amused, but trying not to show it since his mother was probably judging him right now for allowing Jongdae to get so drunk.

Then Chanyeol, who had been watching his sister and mom talk about business, looked at Jongin and said, “Ever since my parents found out that your family ran K Kitchen, they haven’t stopped going. There isn’t even one by us, but they head down to K-town to go.”

Jongin hated that he smiled at that, but it made him proud, and it had put a smile on his sister’s and mom’s faces as well.

“As they should,” Jennie said, also proud. “K Kitchen is worth driving for.”

“Where do your parents live?” his mom asked Chanyeol.

“Malibu,” he told them.

“Oh, yeah,” Jonghee said, nodding, “Definitely not a place we’d ever consider putting one.”

“I wish there was one in Michigan,” Nayeon told them, and Jongin’s mom was suddenly interested in learning all about living in Michigan.

They managed to get Jongdae to take a sip of coffee before they were done eating, but he insisted that he needed another nap. He headed toward the couch, but Jongin told him to go to his room instead so he could nap better.

While Jongdae slept, Jongin and Jennie dropped Chanyeol and Nayeon off at the parking lot of the _noraebang_ so they could get their car and head home.

“Thanks so much for taking care of us last night,” Chanyeol told him with a big smile as he got out of the car.

“No worries,” Jongin told him. “Drive safe and text us when you get home.”

“Will do,” Chanyeol nodded, and then thanked him again before closing the door.

As Jongin drove him and Jennie back to his house, Jennie remarked that she really liked Chanyeol and Nayeon together.

“They’re such a good couple,” she mused, lost in her weird world of unicorns and rainbows she always went into when talking about couples.

“What makes you say that?” Jongin asked, wanting to disagree, but not having a valid reason to. He didn’t know them as a couple that well, outside of the fact that Chanyeol clearly had the hots for Kyungsoo and was ignoring it by dating Nayeon.

“They’re really nice to each other, and they obviously like each other a lot,” she explained like that was a reason instead of a very wrong observation.

“What makes it obvious?” he tried again, really needing to understand where she was pulling this from.

“Well they were making out a lot last night,” she pointed out.

“They were both really high last night,” he reminded her as he stopped at a red light and looked at her. “Babe, I like the idea of Chanyeol and Nayeon being together, but I don’t think their relationship is as solid as it looks.”

“What?” she said, looking at him with big eyes. “Why do you say that?”

Jongin sighed and debated how much he wanted to tell her, but he decided to keep it simple for now.

“I think Chanyeol might like someone else,” he said, grateful that the light turned green so that he didn’t have to look at her in case his face would give away that there was more.

“Who?” she asked, very much staring at him regardless.

Jongin gave a half shrug and said, “It doesn’t matter. The point is that they are together, and hopefully they stay that way.”

“It does matter,” she said, not letting it go. “Who does he like?”

“I don’t want to say because it’s not my place,” Jongin told her. “The moment I can tell you, I will, okay?”

“Is it Kyungsoo?” she then asked, and Jongin almost slammed on the brakes in shock and surprise. “Oh,” she said, seeing very clearly from his reaction that she was right. “That explains why they were looking at each other the whole night.”

“You noticed?” Jongin asked, feeling his heart rate racing.

“Yeah,” Jennie said, looking pensive, “Now it makes more sense. They seem to have a lot of inside jokes.”

“Don’t tell anyone, okay?” he said, glancing over at her real quick. “The situation is really complicated, and they honestly need to not get together ever.”

“Why?” Jennie asked, looking concerned. “I mean, I love Kyungsoo and Taeyong, and I want them to stay together, but I wouldn’t be upset at Kyungsoo and Chanyeol too.”

“Like I said, it’s complicated,” he told her again. “The whole situation is complicated. Chanyeol thinks he’s straight, so even though he obviously likes Kyungsoo in that way, he’s repressing it and dating Nayeon instead. And Kyungsoo is dating Taeyong, and that’s working out well. So they need to keep doing what they’re doing.”

“That’s awful for Nayeon,” Jennie then said, looking a little sad about it. “She’s so nice, and so smart, and so pretty. She deserves someone who just wants her.”

“Agreed,” Jongin acknowledged. “Maybe it will be Chanyeol, but right now, he’s got a lot of mixed-up feelings about things.”

“I’m sure he’ll figure it all out,” she said, putting a smile back on her face. Somehow, she had worked it all out in her mind in a way where things seemed fine.

“Yeah,” Jongin said, even though he knew better. With the way they had acted last night, this Chanyeol and Kyungsoo thing was getting annoyingly worse.

Back at his parents’ house, Jongin found a much more alert and human version of Jongdae, sitting at the table again with Jongin’s dad as he finally ate a breakfast sandwich.

“You look better,” Jongin said, happy for this turn of events as he gave him a big hug.

“Your bed helped,” Jongdae told him, giving him a half-smile, and then he held up his sandwich, “And this sandwich helped.”

“I told him to reheat it, but he’s eating it cold,” Jongin’s dad said, having taken the insides of some of the sandwiches out to heat up on a plate and eat with a fork instead.

“Nothing about me cares right now about this sandwich being cold,” Jongdae stated as he took another bite.

“I’ll heat you up another one,” Jennie said, grabbing one of the few that were left.

“Thanks,” Jongdae said, giving her a thumbs up.

“It seems like you guys had too much fun last night,” Jongin’s father then said, and he really hoped he wasn’t getting a lecture right now.

“Dae only turns 20 once,” Jongin said, reminding him that someone else was there so no reprimanding needed to happen at the moment.

“I’m aware,” Jongin’s dad said, looking right at Jongin in a way where he knew his dad didn’t care that they had company. “But it’s a wonder what you guys will think to do for his twenty-first if this is what you did for his twentieth.”

“We didn’t plan for it to get this crazy,” Jongin noted. “We were just excited to do karaoke.”

“Then how did it get this crazy?” Jongin’s dad asked, and Jongin sighed.

“Can we talk about this later?” Jongin said with pleading eyes.

Jongin’s father gave him a nod, then finished up his food and excused himself from the table saying he had some things to work on and to come see him in his office later.

Once Jennie brought Jongdae his new sandwich, she sat across from them in the seat his father had just vacated and looked at him worried as she asked, “Are you in trouble?”

“Probably,” Jongin said, waving it off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Sorry,” Jongdae said, “totally my fault for being in this state.”

“No,” Jongin assured him, “We all were a mess last night. My mom probably told him as soon as she went to bed, and instead of her reaming me out for it, she’s going to let him do it.”

“I wonder if she’s told my mom then,” Jongdae said, eyes widening as he started on the second sandwich.

“Let’s hope not,” Jongin said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Just blame me for everything,” Jennie told Jongin as if he needed help with dealing with his parents. “I’m the one that coordinated everything anyway. It’s my fault.”

“Babe, it’s fine,” Jongin told her, “It’s not that serious. If it had been, I wouldn’t have brought all of you drunk people home in the first place.” He gave her a teasing smile, hoping it would relax her a little, but she still seemed very concerned.

“I’m sure Kyungsoo is getting the same lecture as we speak,” Jongdae then said, “We should’ve rented a hotel room to all crash at last night.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Jennie said, looking upset with herself. “I totally should’ve gotten us an Airbnb to stay in. That would have been so fun and then no one would’ve gotten in trouble.”

“Next time,” Jongdae said, using his fork to cut the sandwich and eat it that way since the microwave had made it a little soggy.

“I think of everything,” she said, looking distressed by this, “Why didn’t I think of this?”

“Babe, it’s really okay,” Jongin said, realizing she was freaking out. “You live and learn. Now we know for next time.”

“But I needed to know for this time,” she said, and Jongin thought she might be two seconds away from crying, so he tried to calm her down again.

“It’s really okay,” he tried again. “I didn’t think of it either. No one thought of it.”

“But I’m the one who thinks of these things,” she stated, pointing to herself. “How could I screw this up?”

Jongin and Jongdae exchanged looks and shrugs, not knowing what else to say to her.

“You didn’t screw anything up,” Jongdae told her. “This was the best birthday I’ve ever had, and it’s all thanks to you. Like you didn’t even have to go that hard for me, but you did. You’re a real one, Jennie Kim.”

Jongin snickered and would’ve hit the back of Jongdae’s head if he had been in better condition.

“Was it really though?” Jennie asked, suddenly needing this validation like she needed air to breathe.

“Beyond really,” Jongdae said, giving her a bigger smile, or as big as he could without making his face hurt more than it probably did. “I’m never going to forget it. It was really nice to be a dumb teenager again for a night.”

“Yeah,” Jongin nodded, “It’s a good change of pace from being a dumb adult every day.”

“I opened that door for you so you could walk right on through,” Jongdae acknowledged, and Jongin chuckled telling him that he had made it too easy.

After Jongdae had finished eating all that he could, Jongin asked Jennie if she could take him home so he could have this talk with his dad. She looked upset all over again, but he told her again that she didn’t have to be worried.

Once they had left, Jongin braced himself for this conversation and walked into his dad’s study, watching as his father played Solitaire on his computer. Jongin would have loved to have cracked a joke about that, something along the lines of “I see you’re working hard” or other, but instead he just sat in the chair facing him, knowing his dad wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

“I’m really sorry that I disappointed you,” Jongin decided to start, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

His father turned his attention to him instead, watching him for a moment, then said, “You’re 19.”

“I know,” Jongin said, scrambling for excuses to make. “I didn’t really drink. I don’t even like drinking. That’s why I’m the designated driver.”

“How did you guys get the alcohol?”

Jongin wished he was good at lying to his parents, but the fact that he hesitated had already given him away, and his father knew it. So, he stayed silent, which just made his father ask him again.

“How did you guys get the alcohol?”

“I don’t know,” Jongin said with a shrug. “People just brought it with them.”

He was not about to rat out his girlfriend, no matter what she had told him to do. He didn’t need his parents judging her any more than they did or thinking that she was a bad influence on him.

“Which people?” his father interrogated, and Jongin had a suspicion that his father was not going to let this go, which wasn’t going to end up well for him.

“Why does it matter?” he asked back, hoping to buy himself some time to come up with an answer.

“I want to know who provided the alcohol,” his father stated, not leaving room for Jongin to continue to avoid answering.

“I don’t even remember,” he said, his brows furrowing, which meant Jongin’s emotions were starting to surface, and he really needed to keep it together right now. “I wasn’t really drinking, so I wasn’t paying attention.”

Jongin’s father looked at him with disappointment, and then with a level stare said, “I had a good conversation with Jongdae before you guys got back.”

Jongin’s stomach flipped. He knew he was fucked.

“It was casual,” his father said, and Jongin could not only feel his heart beating faster, but he could hear it as the blood rushed to his ears. “I joked that he must have mixed a lot of drinks to get into the state he was in. He said he had started with soju and beer. I’m sure he didn’t think anything of letting it slip that it had been ordered.”

Jongin could feel his insides panic, and he wanted to cry in frustration. Perhaps it was frustration that led him to say, “If you knew, then why did you ask me?”

“Because I wanted to hear it from you,” his father said. “But maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that you don’t tend to lie to us about anything, but you lied to us about this.”

This sounded like a trap, but Jongin went ahead and stepped into it anyway, “What do you mean you shouldn’t be surprised?”

“I imagine that there is a lot about your relationship with Jennie that you don’t share with us,” his father stated, not bothering to beat around the bush. “But the thing is, we are very aware of what kinds of things happen in her life. She’s been getting a lot of press lately, as you know.”

Jongin did not like where this conversation was headed at all, and he crossed his arms defensively and said nothing as he stared at his father.

“She’s 19 as well,” his father carried on. “But she’s being photographed coming out of 21 and up clubs, and looking quite drunk, though not as drunk as her friend, who Jonghee pointed out to me was only 18.”

He squeezed his arms into himself a bit more, needing to hold himself for wherever this was going to go.

“She lives fast,” his father said, watching him carefully. “And gets away with doing very illegal things. And that’s not at all how we raised you. But based on last night, it seems that you’ve followed her lead instead of staying true to who you are.”

“That’s not fair,” Jongin said, feeling his chest ache at the accusation. “I have stayed true to who I am. I don’t do all these things.”

“You don’t attend parties that a normal 19-year-old couldn’t possibly attend?” His father challenged him. “You don’t drink underage?”

“I drank before I even met her,” Jongin pointed out. “And again, I don’t even like it.”

“Then why do you do it?” his father asked, and Jongin felt so annoyed by all of this because nothing he said would help his case.

“I really don’t,” Jongin tried to say again.

“So you didn’t drink last night?”

“I took a shot because we were celebrating,” Jongin explained, feeling this was so unfair. “Dad, I can handle myself in this situation. I’m not the one that was hungover this morning.”

“You can handle yourself in this situation?” his dad said, looking at him as if he wanted to laugh at him. “What if the cops had been called? You would have been arrested along with everyone else because you shouldn’t even be in the situation.”

“I wouldn’t have been in a situation where that would have happened,” Jongin defended again.

“All it would take is one phone call to the police by anyone who saw what was happening,” his father pointed out. “One of the staff members or bartenders could have reported it.”

“They wouldn’t have,” Jongin said.

“You don’t know that,” his father said, attempting to make him understand, but Jongin needed him to understand that he wasn’t as stupid as he seemed to think he suddenly was.

“I do know that,” Jongin told him. “The staff was aware, and they still served us.”

“The staff was aware?” his father said, his eyes boring into him.

Shit. Jongin knew he had fucked up, and he had no way of backtracking his way out of it. He stayed quiet, not even sure what he could say now to save himself.

“Jongin,” his father said, the tone indicating that he needed to start talking right now.

“They were aware,” Jongin answered, confirming it and swallowing.

“They were aware and still served you alcohol,” his father stated as if it needed repeating.

“Yes,” Jongin said, not able to look his father in the eye anymore.

“I see,” his father then said. “I imagine the amount they got for that was worth the risk.”

Jongin stayed silent again, wondering what was going to happen now. It’d be hard for his dad to ground him or anything since he didn’t live at home anymore really. He made his own money, so it’s not like he depended on an allowance from his parents either.

“You know what I always liked about Krystal?” his father then said, and Jongin felt as if he had verbally been punched in the gut. “She kept you grounded. When things started taking off with your career, you were so young that it was easy for it all to get to your head, but she was always there to keep you humble and remind you of who you were and where you’d come from.”

Krystal had always been good at that, but then again, Jongin’s budding dance career had been part of the reason she had broken up with him.

“Now,” his father continued, “With Jennie, things are different. She lives in the clouds, and instead of staying grounded and trying to ground her a bit more, you’ve let her take you with her, away from reality, where you feel you’re above the law and able to do whatever you want.”

Jongin couldn’t take listening to this any longer. He wanted the conversation over, so he decided to cut to the chase.

“Are you telling me to break up with Jennie?” he looked at his father with daring eyes.

“I’m not telling you to do anything,” his father said, leaning back against his desk chair. “I’m merely pointing out the truth of the situation. Which is more than you had the courtesy to do when we started this conversation. Lying isn’t something you used to do when you were with Krystal either, but then again, she never gave you a reason to have to.”

“Krystal broke up with me,” Jongin reminded him, feeling so upset that he needed to go to his room and let it all out somehow. “We’re not getting back together.”

“I’m not suggesting you should,” his father said. “I’m merely pointing out how you’ve changed. I can see you’re upset. We’re upset too. Your mother and I are very worried about you and your relationship with Jennie. Just think about what I’ve said.”

Jongin didn’t bother acknowledging that as he got up to go to his room. He fell onto his bed, grabbing his pillow and burrowing his face into it as some of his frustrated tears came out. So what if Jennie didn’t ground him? He did a decent job of grounding himself. Why couldn’t they acknowledge that he wasn’t as drunk as anyone else? That he was the responsible one? That they had raised him right and that’s why he was the one who made sure everyone got home safely? They just wanted to hate Jennie and that wasn’t fair.

After he had calmed himself down a bit, he went to take a shower, needing the steam to help relax him and get his mind back on track. When he came out, he found Jennie sitting on his bed texting on her phone, and then she looked at him and her face creased with worry.

“Did everything go okay with your dad?” she asked him.

“Everything’s fine,” he lied, finding clothes to put on and then saying, “Let’s pack up so we can go.”

“So everything’s not fine,” she said, walking over to him as he pulled his jeans on.

“My parents are just upset I was out underage drinking,” he played off. “It’s just annoying, but it’s fine. No big deal.”

He gave her a quick peck on the lips to try and assure her, then slid on a T-shirt. He could sense her staring at him and not moving as he grabbed his bag and tossed it onto the bed. He tried to avoid looking at her, picking up the clothes he had worn to stuff back in the bag.

“I’m so sorry,” she then said, and Jongin had to look at her because her voice wavered, and sure enough, there were tears coming down her face.

“Babe,” he said, walking over to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. “It’s really not a big deal. It’s not like my parents are going to disown me or stop loving me because of this. They’re just a little disappointed.”

“Your parents are the nicest people in the world,” Jennie said, through her tears, “They shouldn’t feel disappointed in you because of me.”

“This isn’t about you,” he told her. And really it wasn’t, but he refused to tell her what his father had said.

“It is about me,” Jennie said, sniffing and taking a deep breath. “You wouldn’t have been doing things that disappointed them if it wasn’t for me. They probably want you to break up with me because they think I make you do awful things.”

That was twice this morning she had been way more perceptive than Jongin had anticipated, and he really wished she had saved it for another time.

“That’s not true,” he told her, even though he knew that his parents probably would have liked that very much. “Babe, you’re really overreacting to this.”

“Don’t tell me I’m overreacting,” she snapped at him. “My ex’s parents hated me too. I know when parents don’t like me.”

Jongin stood stunned, watching as she tried to wipe the tears off her cheek.

“After a while,” Jennie said, taking another deep breath, “You get really good at knowing who hates you and who doesn’t. You have to in order to protect yourself. Kyungsoo hated me from the moment he met me. So, I had to work hard to win him over. Jongdae liked me, which was a relief.”

Jongin hated this. He hated that she had known, and he hated that now she knew that he had been trying to hide it from her. He hoped she didn’t resent him for it.

“I don’t think it’s possible for your parents to ever like me,” she then said, having calmed down just enough. “But I still want to try. I’m sorry that I got you in trouble. And I’m sorry that they think worse of me now than they did before. But I… I want to still try.”

Jongin didn’t think she had to, and he asked her, “What does it matter? So what if they haven’t come around to you yet? I like you. It doesn’t matter if they like you. It didn’t matter if Kyungsoo liked you. All that needed to matter was that I liked you. Why is that never enough for you?”

“It is enough,” she said, blinking tears back as she looked at him, “But these are people who are important to you, so I want to be in their good graces as well.”

He supposed that was one way of looking at it. He looked down as he put his hands on his hips, letting out a breath and trying to figure out what he was feeling right then. This was all so upsetting that he didn’t even know what he was most upset about.

And then he had a thought.

“I’m not good at knowing people hate me,” he told her, looking back up at her as she wiped her cheeks again. “So can you just tell me honestly once and for all if your parents hate me or not?”

“My mom wants me to date someone more famous, and my dad thinks I aimed too low after my last boyfriend,” she told him, and even though he had asked her, he had not been prepared for that brutally honest answer.

He needed a moment as he let out a little breath, and then he nodded and said, “Wow.”

“But I don’t care what they think,” Jennie said, looking at him, interpreting his reaction. “They already control every other aspect of my life. They don’t get to control my feelings for you.”

Jongin looked at her and then thought she might have the right idea. There was nothing he could do about his parents being disappointed in him, and nothing he could do about their disapproval of Jennie, but none of that changed his feelings for her either.

He took the several steps to close the gap between them, and hugged her tight to him, letting her know that he felt the same.


	11. Chapter 11

Chanyeol knew that he needed to stop staring at the picture on Jisoo’s Instagram that he had been staring at since the day after Jongdae’s birthday. To anyone but Chanyeol, it wasn’t an extraordinary picture or too different than anything else she normally posted.

But to Chanyeol, the selfie of Jisoo bookended by Baekhyun and Kyungsoo with the caption “Kappas love their Lambdas, even when they go to the wrong school” was anything but normal. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had both leaned into her, and Kyungsoo had put up a peace sign and had a very cute tight-lipped smile, his cheeks high, his eyes amused. He looked so cute that Chanyeol couldn’t take it, and Chanyeol wished that he had a selfie with Kyungsoo looking just like that.

He looked up just in time to see Baekhyun headed back in his direction with two bottles of water, and Chanyeol closed out of the picture and pretended to be scrolling through texts instead.

“The line at the bar wasn’t too bad,” Baekhyun said as he handed Chanyeol his bottle.

Chanyeol thanked him and opened it to take a much-needed drink, the venue a little stuffy with all of the people crammed inside of it. The DJ set was supposed to start soon, and they had a pretty good vantage point of the stage from where they stood. Chanyeol’s height was always a godsend in concert situations.

“Hey,” Baekhyun then said, “If the Lambda party is still going strong after this, want to come with me? Lucas keeps hinting that he really wants me to show up even though I told him I was busy tonight.”

“Is this more hazing?” Chanyeol asked him, smirking at him and cocking an amused eyebrow.

“Nope, just more partying,” Baekhyun said, giving a soft laugh. “It’s actually really hard to keep up with Lucas. He’s like the male version of Rosé but keeps it together better.”

“That’s crazy,” Chanyeol said, thinking Lucas didn’t seem the type at first glance. “He did seem to fit in nicely with the crew at Dae’s party.”

“Yeah, he was definitely in his element,” Baekhyun agreed. “He wants to know when the next party is, but I told him there probably wouldn’t be one like that again until Jennie’s annual Halloween party.”

“Man,” Chanyeol said, shaking his head, “I’m so bummed that’s happening while I’m in season. I won’t even be able to really drink that much.”

“No one told you to be a jock,” Baekhyun said with a cackle. “She hasn’t sent invitations out yet, but people are already offering money for them. Half the Lambda house is asking if I can get them in, so I’m going to have to talk to Jennie about that.”

Chanyeol’s stomach flipped as he realized he was going to have a serious dilemma confront him soon. “Shit,” he said, his eyes moving from side to side as he thought about this. “Jennie’s probably going to invite Nayeon, and Sana’s probably going to ask me if I can get her an invitation, but I’m going to have to tell her she can’t go.”

“This is why you don’t cheat,” Baekhyun admonished him.

“I know,” Chanyeol said, and he did. He really did. But now they were going into October, which meant Nayeon would be leaving for Australia in just three months. “I was thinking about suggesting to Nayeon that we have an open relationship. Do you know how those work?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun nodded with sucked in lips, “They don’t.”

“Then why do they exist?” Chanyeol asked, thinking it had sounded like the perfect suggestion when he had read an article about it.

“For people who are indecisive and like to string people along never giving them what they want or deserve,” Baekhyun said plainly, and Chanyeol wondered if he said this from experience.

“But if everyone’s on the same page…” Chanyeol began, but Baekhyun was already shaking his head and cut him off.

“No one’s ever on the same page,” Baekhyun told him. “What happens is that the person who suggests it wants the best of both worlds, and the two people who agree to it only agree to it in hopes that the person who suggested it ends up choosing one of them eventually. So they spend their whole time in the open relationship being insecure, competing against someone else, and not getting the emotional fulfillment that they need.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, furrowing his brows. “Okay, then I won’t do that. I don’t want to do that to them.”

“You’re already doing that to them,” Baekhyun pointed out.

“Yeah, but they don’t know,” Chanyeol reminded him, then realized that wasn’t entirely true. “I mean, Nayeon doesn’t know. And I don’t want her to feel like that.”

“But you’re okay with Sana feeling like that?” Baekhyun asked with a raised eyebrow.

“She says she doesn’t mind,” Chanyeol told him, then bit his lip and asked, “Is she lying?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun told him, and he put a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Sometimes I love how naïve you are. Honestly. But yes. She’s lying. She’s sticking around because she wants you to break up with Nayeon so she can be your girlfriend and get all the perks of dating the big man on campus instead.”

Chanyeol sighed and rubbed the back of his head, realizing that he was stuck in a situation that he didn’t know how to handle at all. He should break things off with Sana then. But he needed a girlfriend while Nayeon was gone, or… something. It had been great having a girlfriend because it made him feel more normal, like he was finally on the same page as his friends and he fit in better. Plus, his mom loved that he had a girlfriend, and he liked how she often asked how she was doing and if she thought Nayeon would like a certain shirt or some cute hair pieces she had seen at the store.

Having a girlfriend made him feel like he was doing something right, and he didn’t think it would be the same while she was gone. In fact, he knew it wouldn’t. That’s why Sana had come into the picture in the first place.

“Yeol,” Baekhyun said, patting his back, “You’re doing that worrying about things you do when you’re overthinking something.”

“I’m just trying to figure out how to handle this,” Chanyeol admitted, giving him a half-smile to let him know he was fine and not worrying. Even though he was. But he worried about a lot of things, so he might as well add this to the stack.

“Do what you think is right for you and them,” Baekhyun told him, and Chanyeol nodded, trying to figure out what the solution to that would be.

The lights went down and Chanyeol’s mind lost all its worries as his adrenaline rushed through him, excited as intro music came out of the speakers while lasers jumped along to the beat. This particular DJ had just broken through to the mainstream, which meant there were at least ten times the amount of people there when compared to the last time Chanyeol had seen him at a tiny club.

When he took the stage, the crowd roared, and Chanyeol felt caught up in the energy, jumping up and down already. The first song started, and he let himself get lost in it, letting every build-up fuel him, every groove inspire him, and every fast attack of beats lift him up.

Even though his phone told him that the show had lasted a while, Chanyeol felt it was over too quick, and as they walked to Baekhyun’s car he couldn’t stop talking about it at a rapid, excited pace.

“The way he dropped that bass on ‘Enigma,” Chanyeol was saying, practically skipping beside his best friend. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“Me either,” Baekhyun agreed, his excited energy palpable as well. “That was a plot twist. I almost fell on the ground at how good that was.”

“I want to do that,” Chanyeol said. “Like, I want to DJ and be able to do things like that. He kept us all in the palm of his hands because we had no idea what was coming next.”

“He’s so good at that,” Baekhyun nodded. “Definitely top five DJs.”

“He’s no Austin Hawk,” Chanyeol noted, “But yeah. For sure top five.”

They spoke more on the drive back to campus, still excited as they pointed out other parts that they loved, and then as they daydreamed about one day getting to go on stage and do things like that. When Baekhyun brought up again that he should just join his band and then they can let him do a DJ set in the middle, Chanyeol laughed and told him that they’d collaborate after they had both established themselves, Baekhyun as a global rock star, and Chanyeol as the best DJ in LA.

It wasn’t until after Baekhyun had parked at his apartment and they had started walking toward Greek Row that Chanyeol finally asked if Kyungsoo was at the party already.

“He’s got another audition early in the morning,” Baekhyun told him, “So he had to skip it.”

Chanyeol tried to not show his disappointment. The only reason he had agreed to come along was to get a chance to hang out with him without Taeyong around for once. Now he wondered why he was going at all. It’s not like Baekhyun needed company since he’d probably run off with Lucas to his room the moment that they got in.

It was too late to get out of it though, so Chanyeol entered the Lambda house, which was already loud before they even made it into the center courtyard where all their parties were thrown. Unlike the party that Chanyeol had crashed back while Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had been rushing, this one now included girls. Lots of girls. There honestly seemed to be two girls for every guy, a very deliberate ratio.

Chanyeol soon had a plastic cup of beer in his hand, which he was going to cherish. Practice would be starting next week, and after that, he’d have to be back in season-mode, working out, taking care of his body, and not doing anything stupid that would get him benched.

“Does this happen every night?” Chanyeol asked as they snaked around the beer bong line.

“Not every night,” Baekhyun said, “Usually there are themed parties throughout the week, but this is just because it was someone’s birthday, and everyone decided to get shitfaced.”

“Fair,” Chanyeol nodded as some girl ran by them, laughing as she was being chased by some guy.

Lucas spotted them just as they spotted him, and he came running over, holding a bong that was an actual bong.

“You’re here,” he slurred, hugging them both at the same time, or trying to anyway. “You guys missed most of the fun. Things are winding down now.” Chanyeol looked around and wondered what the height of the party was like if this was the winding down. “How was the concert?”

“It was great,” Baekhyun said, “You should come with us next time.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol agreed. He’d certainly be great pre-show entertainment while they waited for the act to start.

“Really?” Lucas said, both surprised and touched. “Hell yeah. I want to come along.” Then he seemed to remember he was holding a bong and he held it out for them. “Do you guys want to take a hit?”

“Sure,” Chanyeol said, figuring he should get something out of coming to the party. Baekhyun said he was good, so Lucas handed it to Chanyeol, who took the hit and handed it back to Lucas, holding it in for as long as he could before slowly exhaling it.

It was easy to get into the mood of the party, even if it was winding down, once Chanyeol had the booze and pot in him. They hung out in a corner, Baekhyun and Lucas talking about something that didn’t pertain to Chanyeol, but he still felt in a great mood, taking it all in and laughing at the crazy antics of the partygoers.

And then Chanyeol noticed Kris—the first time he had seen him since he had arrived. He was leaning against the brick wall, drinking from his cup as someone talked to him loudly and excited about something. That damn lean. What was it about the way he leaned that drove Chanyeol crazy every time? They were about the same height, and Chanyeol was sure that he didn’t look like that when he leaned against a wall.

Every now and then, Chanyeol’s body reacted to things before his mind did, and as soon as he realized that he had started walking in Kris’s direction, he realized that he needed to say something to him if he actually reached him.

Kris took another sip of his drink, and his eyes darted around, catching sight of him. Chanyeol’s stomach did a little flip thing, and then Kris was staring at him, giving him a half-smirking kind of smile that made Chanyeol’s stomach flip again.

“Hey,” Kris said, once Chanyeol had reached him.

“Hey,” Chanyeol said back, giving him a soft smile, one that could only come from that perfect blend of high-quality pot and cheap alcohol.

The guy who had been talking to Kris told him he’d catch him later as he rushed over to watch some sorority girl who had taken her shirt off and was teasing that she’d throw it into the crowd of riled up guys.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” Kris said, and Chanyeol took the other guy’s place, standing directly in front of him, appreciating the angle of this view as well.

“Lucas wanted Baek to stop by for a little,” Chanyeol explained, “And we were at a concert together, so I stopped by with him after the show.”

“Nice,” Kris said, seeming pleased by this explanation. “Was it a good show?”

“It was a great show,” Chanyeol told him, and then he watched as Kris slid his empty right hand into the front pocket of his jeans.

“What kind of show was it?” Kris asked, and Chanyeol diverted his eyes back up to Kris’s instead.

“EDM,” Chanyeol told him. “A really great DJ. It was awesome.”

“I bet,” Kris told him, and then he looked at him, not saying anything else, almost as if he was daring Chanyeol to tell him why he had walked over to him.

Even if Chanyeol kept fighting his mind about the reason, his body had clearly known, and honestly, Chanyeol had been wondering since that first night he had met Kris. He had been wondering what he felt like, how he kissed, how it felt to be touched by him, and Chanyeol was just the right amount of high to let his body take the lead.

“So,” Chanyeol began, finding the liquid courage to admit to Kris what he hadn’t to anyone else, “It turns out you may have been right.”

“About?” Kris asked, watching him carefully, but something in his eyes made Chanyeol think he knew the answer.

“About me,” Chanyeol nodded. “I think I am… actually… bi. Like, your gaydar wasn’t broken.”

“I know,” Kris said, and his eyes squinted a bit as the smile on his face grew to show that he felt proud of this fact. “But I’m glad you figured that out.”

“Yeah, well,” Chanyeol cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, feeling a bit nervous now all of a sudden. “This is very new to me.”

“Well then,” Kris said, taking his hand back out of his pocket and reaching out to hook his finger around one of the belt loops of Chanyeol’s jeans. “We’ll just have to take it very slow.”

Chanyeol’s eyes went a little wide at the act, and his body tingled in anticipation of what could follow. He looked right at Kris, and with a confidence he didn’t know he had, said, “Who said I wanted to take it slow?”

If Kris was surprised at his response, he didn’t show it, and instead he made a motion with his head intended for Chanyeol to follow him. He did, back into the house and up the stairs to the second floor where Kris led him into his room and locked the door. Chanyeol didn’t even wait for him to step further into the room, pressing himself against him and going in for the kiss that he had been wondering so much about.

It wasn’t as good as Chanyeol had expected. It was, in fact, a trillion times better, and Chanyeol felt every single sensation in his body pummel him all at once as Kris kissed him harder, as their shirts came off, as they went tumbling down onto Kris’s bed.

Chanyeol wasn’t even sure what was happening, he just knew that he wanted it to keep happening, or rather, he needed it to happen. His body was yearning for the way that Kris sucked on his neck and grabbed his hip, pushing his fingers into his skin, letting him know that this was real, this was physical.

Kris was experienced, and Chanyeol let him take complete control, whimpering and gasping each time Kris made him feel way too good. Chanyeol wanted to feel him too, to hold onto him and dig his own fingers into his muscles, but he found himself holding on for dear life instead as his pleasure intensified and made him lose his mind.

For all of Nayeon’s efforts, she had never made him feel quite like this, nor had Sana, and Kyungsoo… that had been something completely different, but just thinking of him made an extra current run through him, and Chanyeol arched his back as Kris’s hand snaked down to his underwear, palming him through the fabric.

“Have you ever had a guy give you a hand job before?” Kris asked him, his lips swollen from all the kissing they had done.

Chanyeol shook his head, not even able to formulate words, and he licked his lips as he looked down in anticipation, already feeling overcome by the simple motions of Kris’s hand against him.

“So you’ve never given one either,” Kris guessed, getting up from him just enough to tug Chanyeol’s underwear down just enough to free him.

“Not yet,” Chanyeol managed to croak out, and then he groaned and threw his head back as Kris grabbed his length, snug, with a solid grip, and started to pump. “Oh Jesus. Oh fuck.”

This did not feel anything like what Nayeon or Sana did to him. Their hands weren’t this big, this strong, this experienced, and Chanyeol felt like he was going to combust.

He was able to focus on Kris again, to see that he was bulging hard against his own underwear, and Chanyeol reached out to him, to tug his underwear down as well, which made Kris chuckle.

“You think you can handle that without a tutorial?” Kris said, and he tightened his grip on Chanyeol a bit more, making him gasp.

“I’m a quick learner,” Chanyeol said, having to shift his angle to get a good grip on it, and then pumping Kris, attempting to match the rhythm, and oh fuck it was hard to do it because Kris’s hand was doing a number on his dick and Chanyeol could barely concentrate on returning the favor.

Kris seemed to know this, but instead of making fun of him for it, he ran his free hand through, Chanyeol’s hair and told him to take his time. Chanyeol shuddered at the new touch and he almost felt like crying at how incredible this all felt. And though he wanted it to last for as long as possible, his body was not going to allow that to happen.

He barely could get a warning out to Kris before he spilled all over his hand, and Kris took his own matters into his own hand, getting himself off as well as Chanyeol shifted his hand to grip Kris’s thigh instead in support of his own orgasm. It took another moment before Kris came, and then he collapsed onto the bed with Chanyeol, panting and letting his hand fall onto Chanyeol’s torso.

Chanyeol had way too many thoughts running around his mind now. He had liked that a lot. He wanted to do it again. He wondered if Kris would want to do it again. Oh my God, he was so bi. There was no denying it now. He was bi, and he wanted to do this again with Kris and with Kyungsoo. Why had he been so stupid before? He literally had Kyungsoo on his lap, and it went nowhere because he couldn’t accept that he was bi. Why had he been confused for so long when now it was very obvious?

“You alright?” Kris asked him, looking at him, assessing him.

“More than alright,” Chanyeol said, but his brows were furrowed in confusion because he was very confused. Why had this had to feel so good? Why couldn’t this have sucked so that his life was simpler? What was he supposed to do about this now?

“You look a little freaked out,” Kris said, shifting to his side and propping his head on his hand to look at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, letting out another huge breath to calm his mind a little. “I just feel my life got a bit more complicated.”

“This doesn’t have to be complicated,” Kris said to him, trailing his fingers down Chanyeol’s chest. “This doesn’t have to be anything.”

But as his body shuddered at the new touch, Chanyeol knew that couldn’t possibly be true.

“I have a girlfriend,” Chanyeol reminded him—and himself.

“So do I,” Kris then said, and Chanyeol was shocked to hear this. He looked at him with eyes that let Kris know this. “But she knows I’m bi. She knows I have other needs. We have a very honest relationship.”

“Does she go to school here?” Chanyeol asked, wondering if she was in the courtyard looking for Kris.

“She does,” Kris said, “But she’s studying abroad right now. She’ll be back next semester for graduation.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, not sure what to do with this information. So he pushed it to the side of his mind to think about later, among the many other things he suddenly needed to think about.

Kris dropped a kiss on Chanyeol’s shoulder then said, “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we exchange numbers, and if you feel you’d be down for more of this, let me know. No pressure. It’s up to you.”

Chanyeol nodded at him, grateful for the out, or in, so that he didn’t have to make any decisions right now when his head was still fuzzy from everything that had just happened.

Kris grabbed them washcloths to clean up and then they exchanged numbers as Chanyeol got dressed, Kris deciding there was no point going back down to the party and calling it a night so he could go to sleep. He did walk him to his bedroom door though, and Chanyeol glanced around, as if just now realizing there wasn’t another bed in there.

“You have your own room,” Chanyeol mentioned, more for himself.

“Being the Vice President has its privileges,” Kris said, but then he considered this and said, “A lot of guys live in this house, so if you want to keep this under the radar, then we probably don’t want to do this again here.”

“Agreed,” Chanyeol said, at least knowing how he felt about that. “I have my own apartment. I live alone.”

“Sounds perfect,” Kris said, and he gave him a smile, which he followed with another kiss on Chanyeol’s lips. It was a reminder, or maybe a bribe, for him to call him again, to not forget how much he liked it. And Chanyeol gave him a small smile back then opened the door and peeked outside to see that the coast was clear.

He left Kris’s room, went back downstairs, and was glad when he saw Baekhyun and Lucas sitting in the front living room instead.

“There you are!” Lucas said, excited to see him. “Baek thought he lost you.”

“I went to find the restroom and got lost,” Chanyeol told them, which Lucas accepted as truth.

But Baekhyun knew him too well, and he was giving him an almost unbelieving look, then stood up and told Lucas that they had to head home. Lucas gave Baekhyun a squeezy type of hug and told him he’d see him tomorrow, and then he waved goodbye to Chanyeol as he passed him on his way up the stairs.

It wasn’t until they were back outside and walking away from Greek Row that Baekhyun said something.

“Why do you look like you got laid?” Chanyeol felt his cheeks warm up and he wasn’t sure how to answer, which made Baekhyun say, “Yeol?”

“I… kinda did,” Chanyeol said, and he bit his lip and looked confused all over again.

“What?” Baekhyun said, looking disbelieving. “With who?”

“Kris,” Chanyeol said, and Baekhyun stopped walking and stared at him, mouth agape and eyes piercing. “I know,” Chanyeol said, but he didn’t know. He didn’t know anything, and he ran his hand through his hair. “I mean, I don’t know. I… I’m bi, Baek, okay? I admit it. I’m there. I’m bi. And I find Kris really attractive, and he came onto me, and we went to his room, and… we made out. And I liked it. I liked it so much.”

His emotions welled up, like something important had just happened and he didn’t know how to handle it. Baekhyun seemed to understand, and he pulled him into a hug, which Chanyeol didn’t realize he needed until it happened.

But the hug didn’t last long as Baekhyun pulled away and remarked, “You really need a shower.”

Chanyeol snorted and took a big breath, putting his hand on his cheeks, which felt really hot.

“So what does this mean?” Baekhyun asked him. “Are you breaking up with Nayeon?”

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, shuddering as the cool breeze of the autumn night hit his hot skin. “I don’t know what any of this means. I’m so confused. Don’t tell anyone, okay? Not until I figure out what this all means.”

Baekhyun sighed and nodded, then said, “Your secret’s safe with me. But you do have to figure it out. Because you’ve now cheated on Nayeon with Sana and Kris, so, you know, you have to really consider if you should be in a relationship while you navigate all of this.”

“I know,” Chanyeol nodded, knowing he was going to have to make a decision on that.

He was grateful that Baekhyun didn’t keep talking about it as they walked to the end of the block, and Baekhyun gave him another half hug and told him to go shower again before they headed their separate ways to their respective apartments.

***

The next day, Chanyeol found himself lost in thought during his classes, and he finally gave up and headed home to his parents’ house, needing to be away from campus and any reminders of Nayeon, or Sana, or Kris.

He found his mom outside, pulling shopping bags out of her trunk, and he parked and helped her carry them inside.

“Do you think you bought enough stuff?” he teased her, once they had set the bags down on the couch.

“I felt so great after yoga this morning that I decided to go shopping,” she explained, taking out a very artsy looking basket type of holder. “I saw this and thought Sehun would love it in his dorm room. It’s very him, isn’t it?”

“I see what’s happening here,” Chanyeol said, nodding slowly. “This is empty nest syndrome isn’t it?”

“How can it be empty nest syndrome when you’re here?” she played off, taking out a couple of nice T-shirts. “Look at these nice shirts,” she then said holding them up. “I’m going to make your brother a care package to drop off with all these things.”

Chanyeol wrinkled his nose, knowing that his mother was like this, but still thinking she was being over the top.

“I remember when you used to give me care packages,” he whined, realizing he hadn’t received one in a long time.

“You come home all the time,” she said, holding one of the shirts up to him as if that would help her visualize it on his brother. “Sehunnie doesn’t come home at all. I thought he’d be homesick and come right back, but he likes his school and has made so many friends that he doesn’t want to come home and visit.”

His mother looked both proud of him and upset by this development at the same time, and Chanyeol wanted to laugh at her.

“Well then you really can convert his room to a yoga studio,” Chanyeol joked, heading to the kitchen to grab himself some water. He opened the fridge and saw that some banana milk had been stocked, so he grabbed one of those instead. If they had been bought with Sehun in mind, then it didn’t seem like his brother would ever come back to drink them, which made them effectively Chanyeol’s instead.

“So, what brings you by?” she asked him, coming into the kitchen as well. “Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”

“It’s an early day for me,” he lied, having decided to skip his afternoon class.

“You don’t have plans with Nayeon?” she then asked, as she looked through the fridge for something.

“She’s busy today with some sorority stuff she had to do,” he lied again, thinking that he needed to go to his room and disappear before he had to change his name to Pinocchio.

“That’s so exciting,” his mother said, pulling out a container that seemed to have whatever she was looking for in it. “If I had grown up here, I would have loved being in a sorority. Jisoo’s mother and I talk about that all the time. We’ve had the idea to start a sorority for adults. Wouldn’t that be funny?”

“That sounds terrifying,” Chanyeol remarked, finishing the last of the banana milk and tossing the carton in the trash.

“It sounds great,” she corrected, putting the container in the microwave.

Chanyeol left his mother to her weird grown-up fantasies and headed to his room to take a nap. He found it impossible to relax though as thought after thought plagued him, and he finally gave up and texted Jisoo to see if she wanted to hang out since it was her last week of freedom before she started classes.

She came over and after saying hello to Chanyeol’s mom, they headed outside and walked down the sandy path to the beach. Chanyeol had brought a blanket with him for them to sit on, and he pulled his knees up to lay his head on them.

“Oh oh,” Jisoo said, watching him, “What’s going on?”

“Everything,” Chanyeol said, “But I don’t want to tell you because you’re going to judge me.”

“And yet you called me over,” she pointed out.

“To help me get my mind off things,” he explained. “What’s been going on with you lately?”

“Me?” Jisoo asked as if she hadn’t considered having to talk about herself. “Nothing. Just chilling before dealing with school this semester. Trying to mentally prepare for harder classes and rush. The usual.”

At the mention of rush, Chanyeol immediately thought of the picture on her Instagram with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo again, and a soft smile spread on his face.

“Sounds nice,” he said, wanting to pull out his phone to look at it again, but knowing he’d have to wait until he was alone.

“I guess,” Jisoo shrugged. “I’ve decided which study abroad program I want to do, so I have to prepare my application for that and submit it next month. Hopefully, I get approved for it.”

“Oh?” Chanyeol said, looking at her surprised to hear this. “I didn’t know you wanted to do a study abroad program.”

“It’ll help round out my law school application,” she said, playing with the sand in front of her feet.

“Make sense,” Chanyeol nodded, glad he didn’t have to worry about things like that. Just getting through four years of college was tough enough. “Where are you going to study abroad?”

“I’m applying for an interesting program in Argentina,” she said, smiling at his reaction.

“That’s so random,” he said, wondering why Argentina of all places.

“Yeah,” she said with a chuckle. “But they have a really interesting program at the University of Buenos Aires on Asian immigration in South America, and I think it’d be fun.”

“When would it be?” he asked as he dug his toes in the sand and unearthed them.

“Next Fall semester,” she said, and before he could say anything she said, “Yes, I’d be missing part of your basketball season, but only the first part. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t miss you bringing home the championship your senior year.”

He gave her a cheesy grin then said, “Thank you for taking that into consideration.”

“How do you feel about this year’s season?” Jisoo shifted so that she could lean back on her elbows.

“We start practice next week, so I’ll be back in the gym soon. I’ll let you know how I feel then,” he said with a snort.

“Good thing you got a lot of good partying done before then,” she mentioned.

“Yeah,” he said, but then he remembered his conversation with Baekhyun and said, “But I’m bummed that I’ll have to be on my best behavior for Jennie’s Halloween thing. Whatever it is this year.”

“Oh God,” Jisoo said, looking up as if she wanted to roll her eyes. “It’s going to be insane this year. Some promoter reached out to her about hosting it at their club. He’s paying her $100K for it.”

“Whoa,” Chanyeol said. His eyes went wide as he looked at Jisoo for confirmation.

“The thing is, paying for it means press. He wants his club to be known as the place that Jennie chooses to throw her parties. So it’s going to be promoted. I told her that there’s no way I can go if there’s a chance my underage ass gets photographed, but she swears it won’t be like that.”

“Is there a back entrance she’s planning on us using?” Chanyeol asked, thinking this sounded dumb as well.

“According to her, they’re going to promote it after the fact,” Jisoo explained. “So all the press is going to come from the fact that she hosted her ultra-private party there, and the hope for the promoter is that other people will want to party where she partied.”

“Okay, I can see that,” Chanyeol nodded.

“But, to promote, they still need something to go off of,” Jisoo pointed out, “So there will be pictures taken, and she’s supposed to approve the ones he can use in the promotion.”

“Remember the good ‘ole days when Jennie threw parties and no one cared?” Chanyeol said, closing his eyes and shaking his head at what already seemed like a mess.

“I miss those days,” Jisoo said with a sigh. “Lisa and I talk about this all the time. How we’re not cut out for Jennie’s life. We always knew her mom wanted her in the spotlight, but we never knew this was the direction her mom was going to push her toward. It’s so obnoxious. Jennie just wants to focus on school and creating her own fashion line, she doesn’t want to go out partying and be photographed every hour.”

“Has she ever considered telling her mother no?” Chanyeol wondered out loud, shifting to cross his legs like a pretzel and play with the sand.

“She would never,” Jisoo said, her tone firm. “You know she’s a people pleaser, and there’s no one she wants to please more than her parents.”

“That’s sad,” Chanyeol said, feeling bad for Jennie. He knew it couldn’t have been easy to be her, but this just sounded crazy.

“It is,” Jisoo said, and then she looked over at him for a moment and said, “Did I get your mind off things?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, giving her a thankful smile, but then he scratched the back of his head and debated telling her or asking her for help. “When you were in a relationship,” he began, “how did it feel?”

“Hm,” Jisoo said, sitting back up as if feeling she needed to be eye-level with him for this conversation. “It felt fine? What do you mean exactly?”

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, losing his courage and looking down, not even sure what he was trying to ask.

“Are things not going well with you and Nayeon?” she prodded. “You guys seemed fine at Jongdae’s birthday.”

“Things are fine,” he said, carefully, and then realized he was probably going to get judged for what he said next. “But I keep thinking about other people.”

Jisoo nodded slowly, then asked, “Like being with other people?”

Chanyeol pursed his lips to the side and nodded, then softly said, “Yeah.”

“It’s normal to fantasize about what we don’t have,” Jisoo told him, and Chanyeol couldn’t look at her out of guilt that he wasn’t actually fantasizing about it, so he stared at the ocean in front of him and listened. “As long as you don’t act out on it, it’s fine.”

“Hm,” he said, not sure how to go from there without exposing himself and the fact that he was a horrible human being that had acted out on it more than once.

“But if you find that you do want to act on it,” Jisoo then added when he hadn’t said anything. “Then you need to break up with Nayeon.”

Chanyeol furrowed his brows, wondering how he could plead his case in a way that would make Jisoo understand.

“You don’t want to be a cheater,” she said, and he tried hard to not flinch, but he wasn’t good at hiding his emotions. “Unless you already are…” she said, totally having caught it.

“I’m a terrible person. I know,” Chanyeol admitted, “But it’s complicated.”

“Yeol…” she said, rolling her eyes and giving a soft groan, “Who are you cheating on her with?”

“One of her sorority sisters,” he admitted, steeling himself for the reaction.

“Oh my God,” Jisoo said, looking ready to get up and walk away from him. “Yeol!”

“I know. I know,” Chanyeol said again, crossing his arms.

“I didn’t raise you like this,” she said, slapping his arm. Twice. And then again.

“I know,” Chanyeol whined. “But it’s complicated.”

“Of course it is,” Jisoo said, her tone full of annoyance. “That’s why you don’t do it. You have to break up with Nayeon. There’s no way around it. If you really cared about her, you wouldn’t have cheated on her. It’s not fair to her, and it’s… honestly, it’s the worst feeling in the world. Imagine being cheated on. How would that make you feel?”

Chanyeol bit his lip and knew that it would make him feel like he wasn’t good enough or had done something wrong.

“Not good,” he told her.

“Exactly,” Jisoo nodded. “It makes you feel insecure, and like you’re not worthy of being loved, and those are two things you should never make your girlfriend feel, so end it now and just date the other girl if that’s who you want.”

He didn’t bother to say that he didn’t think he wanted her either. He just nodded and realized that he needed to do this. Yeah, it was going to suck to not have a girlfriend again, but maybe he just needed to find one that he connected with better. Someone he could talk with easier, and be on the same page with, and enjoy hanging out with even if they weren’t doing anything sexual, or even if they weren’t even in the same room and instead just talking on the phone and laughing at their inside jokes.

Someone like Kyungsoo…

“Yeol?” Jisoo said when he hadn’t replied, and he looked at her and nodded.

“I’ll break up with her,” he said, though his resolution wasn’t firm. But he knew he had to, and so he would.

“Good,” Jisoo said, looking at him worried. “Honestly, you’re better off not being in a relationship. This past year that I’ve been single has been amazing. We can be single together.”

She offered him a smile, and Chanyeol gave her a half-smile back, not knowing if he was going to find it amazing. He and Nayeon hadn’t even been together that long, and he had started cheating on her pretty much right away, so basically his first relationship had been a complete disaster. Leave it to him to not get that right. Why couldn’t he just be normal when it came to these things like the rest of his friends were?

And then he remembered that Jisoo was single and Baekhyun didn’t actually do relationships, and he found a weird comfort in realizing that actually, his friends weren’t normal at all when it came to relationships, so it was totally okay if he wasn’t either. He just had to find that confidence in himself that they obviously had in order to be okay with it in the first place.

He could do it. He knew he could. But first, he had to break up with Nayeon.


	12. Chapter 12

If Kyungsoo had realized that joining a frat was going to require him to be involved with festivities surrounding football, he would have passed on the whole thing. But no. He stupidly hadn’t considered that aspect and now found himself having to carry some large heavy cooler to the spot of the parking lot where the frat was tailgating.

“Great job, pledges!” their sadistic president, Ben, said through the loudspeaker he had in his hand. “Now drop and give me 20.”

Yeah, because after carrying a heavy cooler, the only thing Kyungsoo wanted to do more was drop down to the asphalt of the parking lot and do 20 push-ups while wearing a suit and tie. Unlike the rest of the frat who were wearing appropriate game day attire, the pledges were instructed to wear a suit and tie because that made perfect sense.

Kyungsoo gave Logan a glare, the kind of glare that Logan had now become accustomed to based on Kyungsoo’s endless gripes throughout the pledging process, and as he always did, Logan laughed and motioned for him to drop to the floor.

The rest of the frat counted them down with big brothers yelling at pledges who weren’t doing it right or showing good form. Kyungsoo hated football. He hated it with a passion. He wanted football to die a painful death, and as he felt his arms start to give way on about his tenth push up, he decided that he was going to set the Coliseum on fire so that they had no choice but to cancel football for the season.

Once they were done, and Kyungsoo was back on his feet, the frat brothers cheered, as did the sorority girls who had joined them to watch, and he looked over to see some sorority girl take the loudspeaker from Ben.

“Kappa pledges,” she said, as Ben and Kris stood beside her, arms crossed and looking amused at the scene they had created. “Our Lambda pledges must be so tired after all that hard work. Go show them some love, bitches!”

Charming. Kyungsoo just wanted water and hand wipes, which apparently is what the love meant since before he could register what was happening, a very excited girl ran over to him holding out a bottle of water and a warm, moist hand towel.

“Uh, thanks,” Kyungsoo said, taking the towel first to wipe his hands.

“You’re welcome,” she said with a bright smile. She was a really pretty, tall brunette, who was either Kyungsoo’s height or taller. They seemed pretty evenly matched, but she seemed tall for some reason. And unlike a lot of her sisters, she was thin in a different way, where she had curves and soft features that made her USC cheerleading knockoff uniform look snug in all the right places. He imagined her fellow pledges might be jealous of her. “I’m Hailee,” she then introduced herself.

“Kyungsoo,” he introduced himself back, taking the water bottle from her and thanking her again as he took a very long gulp from it.

“I know,” she said, and then she pulled out a lint roller from her little USC backpack and Kyungsoo’s eyes went wide and he shook his head.

“You really don’t have to…”

“I have to,” she cut him off.

“Okay,” he said, looking over at how the sorority sisters were watching their pledges like hawks.

Hailee got to work, doing his chest area first before crouching down to do the legs of his pants. Kyungsoo looked over at Logan to see him smiling and giving him a thumbs-up, and then he looked over at Baekhyun who kept giggling and talking to the blonde girl rolling him down.

This was so ridiculous that Kyungsoo wanted to run away from it, but also, it was kind of amusing. Hailee moved to the back, rolling the brush over his back and Kyungsoo wondered if she was going to skip his butt, and oh, nope, she went to his butt, causing him to flinch and her to chuckle. She then moved to the back of his legs then held up her lint brush. This apparently was an indication to her big sister to come over to approve of her work, and Kyungsoo drank his water as he was assessed by some other girl, who then told her she did a great job and left.

“Please tell me that was the last of it,” he said to her, noticing that she looked both proud and relieved.

“That was it,” Hailee assured him. “You’re in my Movement class.”

It took him a moment to realize that he had indeed thought she looked familiar, and he smiled wide in acknowledgement.

“You are in that class,” he said pointing at her. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she said and laughed. “I guess my crappy performance last week wasn’t memorable enough for you.”

“I have been a zombie each time that class happens,” Kyungsoo told her, realizing he did remember one of her performances so far and thinking it was really good. “But no, you did the lake scene, right? That was really good.”

“Ah yes, the old pretending you’re stranded on a rowboat in the middle of the lake scene,” she said with a long-suffering sigh. “How did I end up with that one? Yours was so cool though. I loved your choices.”

“Thanks,” he told her, wishing he had paid more attention to her. Now he felt like an asshole since she had noticed him. “So are you a fellow Theatre major?”

“Yep,” she confirmed. “And a sophomore. You?”

“Yep,” he confirmed with a smile back. “Though I’m not planning on staying in college for long. As soon as I get my career going, I’m out.”

“Yeah?” she asked, looking amused by this. “How’s that going for you?”

“Slower than I wanted,” he admitted. “But I shot an indie feature over the summer, so we’ll see how that goes once it’s released.”

“Oh, nice,” she said, nodding. “I’ve only done commercials as a kid. Nothing big. My parents are both in the industry, so I have big shoes to fill.”

“Oh? Are they actors?” Kyungsoo enquired.

“My mom’s a set designer and my dad’s a stuntman,” she said, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but geek out.

“What? A stuntman? That’s so freaking cool,” he said, practically hopping. “Did he teach you any tricks?”

“Yeah,” Hailee nodded, “The main one being ‘don’t be a stuntman’,” she said with another bright laugh.

“That’s so great,” Kyungsoo said laughing as well.

A whistle blew and Hailee looked over then said, “Gotta go. We’ll talk later, ‘kay?”

“Yeah, for sure,” he said, handing her the washcloth back when she put her palm up for it.

Baekhyun came over to him, and Kyungsoo looked at him to see that he was staring in the direction that Hailee had run off in.

“Dude, that girl’s beautiful,” Baekhyun said. “What’s her name? Tell me you got her number?”

“I did not,” Kyungsoo said, sorry to disappoint him, “But her name is Hailee, and she’s a fellow Theatre major and in one of my classes, so be nice to me and I’ll consider getting it for you.”

“How have you not introduced me to her before?” Baekhyun asked looking betrayed. “What kind of best friend are you that you don’t introduce a hot girl in your class to me?”

“I honestly didn’t know she was in my class until she just told me,” Kyungsoo told him, and Baekhyun looked so done with him.

“You’re useless to me in this situation,” Baekhyun said, waving him off. “This is when I need my straight friends. Dae would’ve told me about her.”

Kyungsoo chuckled and almost asked what Chanyeol would have done, but he thought it best to not bring Chanyeol up to Baekhyun except when necessary.

The tailgate party would’ve been fun, Kyungsoo supposed, if he actually got to enjoy it instead of waiting hand on foot with the other pledges on every member of their fraternity. This was also the only time that they strictly enforced the no underage drinking rule, which as pledges, they weren’t being allowed to participate in anyway.

He was happy when he got a break in the form of Jongdae coming over to their roped off area. He had Wendy with him, and Kyungsoo thought it was cute that she was wearing a USC shirt and seemed to be making a real effort.

“Hey, guys,” Kyungsoo said, walking over to them, separated by a sagging rope that wasn’t really keeping anyone out or in. “I’m glad you guys came after my humiliation.”

“Oh man, I missed it?” Jongdae said, looking mildly upset about it. “What did they make you guys do?”

“Push-ups, Dae,” Kyungsoo said shaking his head. “What terrible thing did I do in my past life to have to do push-ups?”

“Oh that’s boring,” Jongdae said, pouting in disappointment. “I was hoping that they had you guys running around in your underwear in the parking lot. Why the suit?”

“Push-ups in suits, even more annoying than push-ups not in suits,” Kyungsoo lamented, and Baekhyun joined them, pulling Jongdae into a hug.

“You missed it,” Baekhyun told him, “This Kappa wiped me down with a lint brush.”

“Oh yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded, “That happened too.” He looked at the sleeve of his suit jacket to see it did look quite clean.

Jongdae reached over and smacked Kyungsoo’s arm then said, “How are you going to tell me about push-ups when lint brush wipe-downs happened?”

“The push-ups were the horrible part,” Kyungsoo whined.

“Is this your first USC football game?” Baekhyun then asked Wendy, who nodded at him. “You’re going to love it. It’s so much fun.”

“It’s not fun,” Kyungsoo said frowning. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to sit through this. What even is the point? The ball has to go from one side to the other, but everyone just wants to tackle each other to the ground. Actually, this sounds gay. This sport is very gay.”

“They wear tight pants and pull each other down and pin them with their bodies,” Baekhyun nodded, “The gays invented this sport, and no one bothered to tell the straights.”

“Shh, don’t tell them,” Jongdae said. “It’s funnier if they don’t know they’re watching a gay sport.” Jongdae then looked around and said, “Hey, have you guys seen Chanyeol? We were supposed to meet him and Nayeon so we could sit with them since we can’t sit with you Lambdas.”

“I have not,” Baekhyun said, pulling out his phone, “And he hasn’t texted.”

“Isn’t Nayeon sitting with her sorority sisters?” Kyungsoo asked, thinking their plan had the same issues.

“Yeah,” Jongdae said, then explained, “But their area isn’t as restricted, mostly because it’s not as great of an area as you Lambdas have.”

“I had to do push-ups,” Kyungsoo said with narrowed eyes, “I deserve a good seat.”

“That you do,” Jongdae said, cackling at him.

Jongdae and Wendy left them to head into the stadium, and soon Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were packing up all the equipment and things, storing them in the pickup trucks and other cars they needed to go in. The rest of the frat, aside from a few brothers that had been assigned to making sure the pledges didn’t screw this up, headed into the stadium, and Kyungsoo briefly wondered if he had to really attend the game. Surely, he could make a case for just heading back to his dorm and staring at the wall or anything as equally unproductive.

But unfortunately, Baekhyun really wanted to watch the game with Lucas to see if he made it more entertaining, and Kyungsoo did think that he might have a point, so once they were done cleaning up, they headed inside with the other pledges and were greeted by loud cheering, the band playing, and some announcer introducing someone to the field.

Kyungsoo did like the energy at least, but he knew after a couple of hours of this, he was going to have to head home and decompress instead of heading back to the Lambda house for the post-game party. Lucas and Logan had both saved them seats next to each other, and Kyungsoo was happy when Lucas passed them some loaded nachos and bottles of water.

He hadn’t realized how much he had been starving until he took that first bite, and now he wanted to find the concession stand and order five more of these. The game started at some point, but Kyungsoo had no idea what was happening, and he scrolled through his phone instead, wondering if Chanyeol had ever shown up. He knew texting Dae to find out would be too obvious, but then he thought of a roundabout way to find out.

_Kyungsoo: What section did you guys end up in?_

Several minutes passed before Kyungsoo realized that, of course, Jongdae wouldn’t answer. Unlike him, Jongdae liked sports and was probably on his feet excited about every play, so Kyungsoo decided to try and pay attention.

At some point he asked Logan, “So what’s happening?” and Logan laughed at him. “I don’t sports,” Kyungsoo explained with a shrug.

Logan explained what was happening to the best of his ability, and then waved it off and said, “I don’t really sports either. I just got good at following football because of the frat.”

“I understand,” Kyungsoo nodded. “I just recently got into basketball because of reasons too.”

“Basketball’s fun,” Logan said in agreement. “I prefer that to this. With this, I keep waiting for something to happen.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said with a nod, thinking he felt the same way.

“Yeah, kill them!” Lucas said standing up just as everyone else did, and Kyungsoo looked to see what was happening that would’ve elicited that reaction.

“That’s so violent, Luc,” Baekhyun said with a laugh.

“It’s a violent game,” Lucas said, looking up at the thought of this. “So, I just yell at them to kill each other.”

“This makes sense,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“Yeah, kill him!” Lucas said as someone got tackled and Kyungsoo snickered.

“Kill them all!” one of the other brothers yelled out, picking up on Lucas’s idea, and Kyungsoo felt that now would be a good time to find the concessions and get more nachos.

“I’m going to go hunt for food,” Kyungsoo let Logan and Baekhyun know.

“Soda please!” Baekhyun said to him before counteracting Lucas’s violent cheer with, “Way to live!”

Kyungsoo told Baekhyun he was stupid and left, checking his phone and seeing that Jongdae still hadn’t responded. He walked the whole perimeter before finding the concession area that had the nachos and stood in the short line. He then had another brilliant idea and decided to just text Chanyeol directly.

_Kyungsoo: Hey, did you ever make it to the game? Dae was looking for you earlier._

Unlike Jongdae, Chanyeol texted him back in a matter of minutes.

_Chanyeol: Yeah, I’m here. Dae said you and Baek were sitting with your frat._

_Kyungsoo: Yeah, but I needed a break from them so I’m in line to get nachos._

That had been a deliberate reveal of information, and he hoped Chanyeol took the bait.

_Chanyeol: Nachos sound amazing. Wait for me. I’m coming!_

Kyungsoo stepped out of the line and leaned against the wall with the stupidest grin on his face. He couldn’t help it that he liked hanging out with Chanyeol and didn’t get to do it that often. They hadn’t seen each other since Dae’s birthday, which sucked because Kyungsoo had wanted to talk to him about how crazy it all was. And the fact that Baekhyun had chosen to do their _High School Musical_ song was the best and worst part. The best because it had made Kyungsoo laugh, and the worst because Kyungsoo had wished it was him and Chanyeol who could have sung it instead.

He tried to look busy on his phone, just to make sure that he wasn’t looking like he was looking around for Chanyeol. But after a bit, he decided to look up and check to see if he saw him, and he found that he did see him, just a few feet away from him, standing still and staring at him.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, his smile spreading in a way he couldn’t control.

“Hey,” Chanyeol said, his smile doing the same, and he stepped closer, blinking and looking him over again, which made Kyungsoo realize that, of course, Chanyeol was staring looking at him weird—he was still wearing a stupid suit. “Why are you wearing a suit?”

“Hazing shit,” Kyungsoo told him, running a hand through his hair, which was pointless since it just fell right back into the same lame place it was before.

Chanyeol’s smile got bigger, and he said, “It’s cool,” which made Kyungsoo chuckle and say that it was not.

“Do you guys have good seats?” Kyungsoo asked him, hopping back into the line, which had gotten a little longer in the time he had waited.

“They’re okay,” Chanyeol told him. “I actually had the option of sitting closer with my teammates, but I wanted to sit with Dae since I couldn’t sit with you guys.”

“I wish I was sitting with you guys instead,” Kyungsoo told him sincerely. “Instead I’m stuck hearing Lucas yelling for everyone on the field to kill each other.”

“What?” Chanyeol said, and he laughed then shook his head. “Lucas. That guy’s crazy.”

“He’s… something,” Kyungsoo agreed.

They caught up about nothing in particular, how classes were going, Kyungsoo very interested in Chanyeol’s music classes, and then Chanyeol told him about the concert he had gone to with Baekhyun, which made Kyungsoo wish he had gone with them as well.

“Tell me next time,” Kyungsoo told them after they paid for their nachos and moved to the side to grab napkins while the next person ordered. “When there’s a show.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, lighting up at the suggestion. “You should totally come. Although, warning, Baek will try and get you to join his band again.”

“I live with the guy,” Kyungsoo chuckled. “I’m used to it.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Chanyeol told him, pulling the sodas closer that the attendant had filled for them and placed on the counter. “When Baek goes to shows, he becomes even more insufferable about it.”

“I can imagine,” Kyungsoo said, knowing how much Baekhyun was itching to make his band happen. “I don’t get what’s taking him so long in putting one together. I’m sure he could’ve found ten bands by now in the music program alone.”

“He’s being picky,” Chanyeol told him, taking a sip from the top of his soda. “He needs his bandmembers to be on the same psychotic musical wavelength as him. He has a vision and if the person doesn’t buy into it, he won’t consider them.”

“I can’t fault him for having a vision and sticking with it,” Kyungsoo said, understanding it a bit. It was no different than a director making sure he had the right cast for the movie he envisioned.

“I get it,” Chanyeol agreed, “But I think he’s being more difficult about it because he’s hoping I change my mind.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, intrigued by this insight. “Like he’s stalling.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Chanyeol said, grabbing a napkin to wipe his lips that glistened thanks to being moist from the soda.

Kyungsoo had the stupid thought that it would’ve been nice to kiss his soda-sweetened lips, and then he mentally chided himself for still thinking about Chanyeol in that way. He swore he couldn’t help it. As much as he reminded himself that he and Chanyeol were just friends, like he and Jongin had to be because the feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated, he still couldn’t stop his mind from thinking and wishing they could be more.

“So how do we get him to stop stalling?” Kyungsoo asked, looking back up at Chanyeol’s eyes instead. “What does he want you to do in the band exactly?”

“Play drums,” Chanyeol smiled. “It was a childhood dream of ours. We used to play Rock Band together, and he always sang, and I always played the drums, and Sehun would do the guitar. Well, Sehun would try and do the guitar.” He laughed, and Kyungsoo envisioned it, thinking it would’ve been fun to be around for that.

“So we just need to find him a drummer,” Kyungsoo said, eyes squinting in thought. “I’m sure we can find one somewhere, and maybe if you approve the drummer, Baek will go along with it because he’ll trust your judgment.”

“It’s as good of a plan as any,” Chanyeol agreed, taking another sip of his soda.

Kyungsoo knew they couldn’t stay there talking, even though he wanted to, so he picked up the nachos and his and Baekhyun’s soda, and Chanyeol did the same with his order. They walked back toward the entrance, discussing strategies for finding a drummer, and Kyungsoo felt that the walk back to his section had been way too short.

“I’ll drop you off here,” Chanyeol told him, and Kyungsoo pouted.

“You don’t want to come say ‘hi’ to Baek?” he asked so that Chanyeol didn’t misinterpret the pout as something else, even though it was for something else.

“I’ll see him later,” Chanyeol said, then explained, “I’m up this way.”

“Okay, keep your phone on you so I can text you more Lucas updates throughout the game,” Kyungsoo joked.

Chanyeol laughed and lifted the drink carrier up as if to say goodbye, hurrying up the steps as the crowd around them cheered for some reason.

The rest of the game wasn’t too bad, and Kyungsoo did find himself enjoying most of it, even if parts of it still didn’t make any sense to him, but he still headed back to the dorm after to de-stress, having the place all to himself since Baekhyun had gone to the post-game party at the frat house with Lucas.

He had never gotten out of his clothes quicker, and he lay in his bed only in his boxers, feeling his body vibrating from being around so many people and having to interact with them. And still, he had a smile on his face, as he took in the peace and quiet, and thought about how amusing most of the events had been, and how much fun he had actually had, and then, of course, he thought about how he had stolen a moment alone with Chanyeol, and he practically felt giddy as his body and mind relaxed.

***

When Taeyong had mentioned at Jongdae’s party that Kyungsoo would look good with red hair, Kyungsoo had envisioned some sort of crazy bright red color that would have him confused with Ronald McDonald. And as Kyungsoo sat in the chair of the hair salon, he stared at Taeyong who was talking with the hairstylist.

“If you’re trying to make me look like one of your favorite anime characters,” Kyungsoo threatened him, “I’m walking out.”

“You already do,” Taeyong teased him, and then he told him to shush as he finished walking the stylist through the pictures and explained what he envisioned.

“It’s going to look great,” the hairstylist assured him, getting to work on his hair, and Kyungsoo decided to trust the man, especially since he came highly recommended from Jongin.

When Kyungsoo had let his best friend know that he was going to go through with his first hair color change of his life, Jongin had immediately given him the number to his own hairstylist, who had always made Jongin’s hair come alive with interesting and bold colors.

It was in the middle of the color treatment portion of the event that Jongin showed up, taking off his sunglasses as he walked in and greeted both Taeyong and the hairstylist before standing in front of Kyungsoo with a big smile.

“How are you feeling?”

“My head feels weird, and I want to go home,” Kyungsoo told him. Really, the chemicals smelled weird and felt tingly on his head.

“He’s doing great,” Jongin said to Taeyong and the hairstylist, both laughing at the assessment. Jongin then sat in a chair close to him to talk with him and Taeyong.

“How’s your day with Summer Kyle going?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“It’s been a fun day so far,” Jongin told him, glancing through one of the magazines he had picked up on the side table. “She’s got the choreo down for her showcase. She just needs to feel more confident with it and give it her flavor.”

“I like her song a lot,” Taeyong then said. “I heard it on the radio, and I yelled out your name like it was your song.”

“I did that too,” Kyungsoo said laughing. “I ran to Baek’s room yelling that Jongin’s song was on the radio.”

“The video hasn’t even come out yet,” Jongin said chuckling, his cheeks a little pink. “They want the song to create buzz before the video drops since she’s a new artist.”

“Sounds like a good strategy,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“She’s going to technically premier the song on Ellen on the same day the video drops, so we’ve got to get that performance down.”

“You’re going to be on Ellen?” Taeyong said surprised.

“He’s been on Ellen before,” Kyungsoo pointed out to him, loving how adorable he looked at being so excited about this.

“As a backup dancer,” Jongin explained to Taeyong, who still looked amazed by this. “This time I’ll get to be a main dancer. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even gone on.”

“Jongin hates Ellen,” Kyungsoo said, chuckling as he remembered Jongin complaining to him and Jongdae about how anticlimactic the show had been after all the hype and how Ellen hadn’t even been nice.

“It was lame,” Jongin shrugged.

“But still, the exposure you get on her show,” Taeyong reasoned.

“I know,” Jongin nodded, “Which is why… actually, since we’re kind of on the topic, I think that if I’m going to come up with a stage name, now’s the time. Before all this stuff with Summer Kyle hits. I need to really establish my identity.”

“Agreed,” Taeyong said, but Kyungsoo just shrugged. He was pretty sure Jongin had already established his identity as Jongin.

“So I think I finally came up with the stage name I want,” Jongin said, looking excited, and that alone made Kyungsoo feel excited too.

“What is it?” Kyungsoo asked, hoping it wasn’t anything as dumb as “Suho.”

“Well, it actually came from a conversation that I overheard Taeyong having one day at the studio with someone else,” Jongin began, and Taeyong looked surprised by this. “You were talking about anime stuff, and I wasn’t really paying attention, but then you kept mentioning Kai, and I really loved how it sounded. So, I went home and looked it up, and it’s a name that is used in lots of cultures and lots of languages, so it’s universal, and in every language, it has different meanings, but they’re all great meanings. In Chinese, it means ‘victory.’ In German, it means ‘warrior.’ In Japanese, it means ‘ocean’ and ‘recovery.’ In Swahili, it means ‘lovable.’ In Turkish, it means ‘strong.’ And those are all things that really speak to me and my journey as a dancer.”

Kyungsoo was so impressed that he blinked at Jongin for a moment.

“That is so freaking cool,” Taeyong said, loving it as much as Kyungsoo did. “Kai is a great name.”

“It is,” Kyungsoo nodded, and he could see Jongin looking at him expectantly like he wanted his approval too. “That’s such a great stage name, and it really suits you. I love it.”

Jongin smiled really wide and said, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo told him, nodding and smiling simultaneously so he knew he meant it. “Kai, the greatest dancer in the world. It has a natural ring to it.”

“I don’t know about all that,” Jongin said, but his wide grin made it clear that he liked the sound of it.

“Have you told your sister and dad yet?” Kyungsoo asked, wondering what they thought.

“I ran it by them, and they both liked it too,” Jongin confirmed. “Jennie also loved it, and Lisa said she thought it fit.”

“Dae?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Haven’t run it by him yet,” Jongin said, “I was leaving him for last because I knew he’d say something like, ‘if you like it, I like it,” which isn’t what I needed to hear first.”

Kyungsoo laughed because it was so true. Jongdae really did go along with whatever as long as it made the other person happy.

“So, do we start calling you Kai now?” Taeyong asked with a teasing smile.

“Nooo,” Jongin said, looking embarrassed. “Please don’t. Leave it for the people who don’t know me.”

Kyungsoo made no promises, already thinking of ways to tease him with this name.

Once his hair color was set, the stylist rinsed it, towel dried it, and brushed it down letting Kyungsoo get the first real glimpse of what it looked like. He stared in the mirror and barely recognized the person looking back at him.

“Wow,” Jongin said, “That is a great color.”

“I love it,” Taeyong said, his hands clasped in front of his chin as if he wanted to jump up and down and giggle.

“It really complements your skin tone,” the hairstylist agreed, and Kyungsoo supposed that was true, but it was so odd to see his hair a different color that he was having a hard time processing it.

“Do you like it?” Jongin asked, noticing his expression.

“It’s so different,” Kyungsoo answered, noticing how the deep, auburn color contrasted with his black eyebrows. Was that weird? He thought it was weird.

“It makes all your features pop,” Taeyong told him. “Especially your eyes. I love it.”

“Let’s get the cut going and then we’ll see if you like how it all comes together,” the hairstylist told him, thinking it would help him like it better probably.

He shaved the back and sides of his hair, then kept the top long, creating a cool undercut effect that made his hair look multidimensional in a way that Kyungsoo never could have imagined.

It was really cool, and Kyungsoo’s smile let them all know that he was pleased with the final result.

“I’m so in love with it,” Taeyong said, taking pictures of him, and Jongin did too, sending them immediately to Jongdae.

“Dae’s freaking out,” Jongin said, laughing as he showed Kyungsoo the text that said he loved it with lots of exclamation points.

“My parents are going to be so confused when they see me this weekend,” Kyungsoo said with a laugh, not able to stop looking at himself in the mirror.

“They’re just going to be happy that you got a haircut,” Jongin told him. “It was getting a bit shaggy. Dae’s too. Is this a college thing?”

“College seems to be bad for your hair,” Taeyong agreed. “Good thing we intervened in time.”

“This is the kind of hair that needs to be shown off,” Jongin said, and then he gave a look to the side as if he was giving himself a disbelieving look. “God, I just sounded like Jennie.”

Kyungsoo snickered at him and said, “You did. That was something Jennie would have said in this situation.”

“She would be right,” Taeyong stated, “You do need to show it off. We should go out.”

“Let’s plan a night out at the club,” Jongin agreed, his thumb sliding over his phone screen as he texted, and then he paused and looked up. “Wait, Jennie doesn’t really know about gay clubs. I don’t think. Maybe you should pick the club.”

“I’m so out of the loop on the scene,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Rosé would know,” Jongin then said, having a flash of inspiration, and his thumb typed away quickly again. “I’ll have her tell us what club and which night. She’ll probably want to come since I’m asking her for help.”

“That’s fine,” Kyungsoo shrugged, not believing his hair was cause for a get-together, but as he looked in the mirror again, tilting his head to the side and up, he started to think that he really did like it. Or at least was getting used to it.

By the time he got back to his place with Taeyong in tow, Baekhyun had already heard the news and came rushing from the couch to look at it.

“I love it!” Baekhyun said, his phone ready to take a picture. “You look like a rock star.”

“No, I’m not going to be in your band,” Kyungsoo told him, and Baekhyun made a noise then laughed and took another picture.

As Kyungsoo dropped his keys on the table, he noticed that Chanyeol was over, standing in the living room watching him with wide eyes.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said with a smile.

“Your hair,” Chanyeol said, stepping closer to get a better look.

“We’re celebrating it,” Taeyong informed them with a proud smile. “Rosé is looking up a gay club we can all go to so that he can show it off to the world.”

“I’m so in,” Baekhyun said. “Lucas knows the best gay clubs. I can ask him too.”

“Oh, yeah,” Taeyong said nodding. “Ask him.”

“That’s a better strategy,” Kyungsoo agreed, heading to the kitchen to find a snack. “That way we don’t end up at some new age lesbian Wiccan society club or whatever.”

“What is it with lesbians and their Wicca?” Baekhyun said, shaking his head, before laughing at the joke. “I don’t think Rosé is that kind of les, but I still say we go with Lucas’s suggestion.”

“I thought she was bisexual?” Chanyeol said, looking confused.

“I’m just joking, Yeol,” Baekhyun said, patting him on the shoulder. “She’s only half les.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, looking as if he was trying to understand this, and Kyungsoo wanted to laugh at him, but instead focused on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich that he was making himself.

“Want one?” he asked Taeyong, who had come over to stand with him in the kitchen.

“Sure,” he said, smiling as he looked at his hair and passing his fingers across the shaved sides, which caused a nice little trickle of excitement to go down Kyungsoo’s spine. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get over this look on you.”

“You realize it won’t look this good tomorrow, right?” Kyungsoo warned him. “Once I go to bed and wake up, this will become a mess of bed hair that I will never get back to this condition.”

“Oh, it’s going to get messed up before you even make it to bed tonight,” Taeyong teased, and Kyungsoo smirked then shoved the sandwich into Taeyong’s mouth.

“You and your dirty mind need to shut up,” Kyungsoo teased him back.

Taeyong took the bite and trailed his tongue over his lips to clean off the jelly that had been on it, letting Kyungsoo know for sure that his hair wasn’t surviving whatever was going to come next, and he leaned in to give him a kiss to help him clean that jelly.

They were interrupted by Chanyeol clearing his throat, and Kyungsoo looked over at him.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, “But I was wondering if I could get a sandwich too. Baek’s a bad host.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Kyungsoo said, giggling with Taeyong as he made a new sandwich and Taeyong ate his.

“Might as well make me one too,” Baekhyun called out from where he had gone back to playing his video game on the couch.

“You don’t get any for being a bad host,” Kyungsoo told him.

Once everyone had their sandwich, Kyungsoo and Taeyong sat at the table while Chanyeol joined Baekhyun again on the couch. Baekhyun paused the game to eat his sandwich and to check his messages.

“Lucas says The Abbey is the best for tonight since it’s not a weekend.”

Kyungsoo knew this was true and nodded. “Yeah, their weekends are dumb because everyone goes. It becomes more of a tourist attraction, and the whole vibe gets thrown off,” Kyungsoo informed. “I’m good with there.”

“Then there it is,” Baekhyun said, texting him back.

Kyungsoo took out his own phone to text Jongin to let him know, and Jongin said that it was perfect and would send out a group text.

**Kyungsoo’s Hair Is Fire Group Chat**

_Jongin: Kyungsoo’s hair is red and we’re celebrating. Pre-gaming at St. Felix then heading over to The Abbey to club. Fake IDs required._

_Jongdae: I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE RED IN PERSON!!!_

_Baekhyun: It looks so good! I want to go red too!_

_Jongdae: LET’S ALL GO RED!_

Kyungsoo noticed Taeyong grab his phone, chuckling as he read the texts.

_Rosé: Only one red at a time please. Also, I’m working tonight so I can’t join since I don’t get out of hell until 3 AM, so party with me first! I’ll get you free food, but you’ll have to pay for the drinks._

_Baekhyun: I love this plan! Free food!_

_Jennie: I’m so excited! Kyungsoo, you have to let me do a photo shoot of you with your hair._

“No, don’t let her,” Baekhyun said to Kyungsoo all of a sudden. “She’s going to turn you into one of her models.”

“I’m scared,” Kyungsoo said, typing back.

_Kyungsoo: Maybe just one picture._

_Jongdae: ASDFGHKL!!! SOO BUSTING THE NO PICTURES PLEASE. HE’S CHANGED ALREADY!_

_Lucas: I’m in a group chat with Jennie Kim?! What is my life?! Hi, Jennie!_

_Jongin: Don’t make me kick you out, Lucas._

_Jennie: HI, LUCAS!!!_

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol then asked, and Kyungsoo looked at him, realizing that he didn’t have his phone out.

“Check your phone,” Kyungsoo said.

“Uh…” Baekhyun said, tilting his head to the side, “I don’t think he’s in this chat.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, double-checking the chat and seeing that he wasn’t listed. “Never mind.”

_Jongdae: I’m going to invite Wendy. Is that okay with everyone?_

_Kyungsoo: Uh, do you think she’ll be cool with it? I’m okay with it, but is SHE okay with it?_

“What’s the chat about?” Chanyeol asked.

“We’re going out tonight to celebrate Kyungsoo’s hair,” Baekhyun told him.

“You’re invited if you want to come,” Kyungsoo let him know, not wanting him to feel left out. “I’m sure Jongin just forgot to include you.”

“It’s at a gay club,” Baekhyun then told him. “Not sure if you’d feel comfortable with that.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, his eyes narrowing a little in thought, and then he said, “I’ve never been to one. I hear they’re fun. This could be my chance to go and see, right?”

Kyungsoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Mr. Straight Guy saying he’d “heard gay clubs were fun.” Honestly, did Chanyeol know how much of a stereotype he was at times? Still, Kyungsoo did want Chanyeol there, unless he spent the whole night being like this.

_Jongdae: I don’t know, but we’ll find out. Ha!_

_Jennie: I hope she wants to! She’s so nice and I want to hang out with her again._

_Jongin: Yeah, Jennie needs a girl since Rosé can’t come._

_Rosé: I can send Shay in my place if Wendy’s a no-go. I see Lisa’s not in this chat. Are we really going to avoid having her and Jongdae at the same events? What’s going to happen at Jennie’s Halloween party?_

_Jongdae: I’ll be in a Halloween costume that she won’t recognize me in. It’ll be fine._

_Baekhyun added Chanyeol to this group._

_Baekhyun: Invited Chanyeol!_

_Lucas: We can invite people? Can I invite Kris? Would that be weird for you Kyungsoo if our VP was there tonight?_

_Kyungsoo: Not at all. The more, the merrier._

Kyungsoo did like Kris, except when he made him do stupid hazing shit. Then he really disliked Kris. Wait, he needed to make sure that wouldn’t happen during his hair party.

_Kyungsoo: Wait, no hazing, right? It’s my party!_

_Lucas: No hazing!_

_Baekhyun: Best night ever!_

_Lucas: No hazing for Kyungsoo because it’s his party. You get hazed._

_Baekhyun: You’re uninvited._

_Jennie: No! Lucas has to come!_

_Jongdae: Wendy’s looking at me like I have 666 tattooed on my forehead. I have GOT to get her to come now. You guys, please help me corrupt my wife._

_Baekhyun: Does she think she’s going into the devil’s lair?! LOLOLOLOLOL_

_Kyungsoo: Tell her the club is called Sodom and Gomorrah._

_Taeyong: I’m here to point out that the club is called The Abbey so…_

_Jongdae: Yes! I’ll tell her it’s a holy place._

_Jennie: Do you want me to talk to her? I really want her to come._

_Rosé: Love how everyone is ignoring my Lisa question…_

_Jongin: I’ll ask Lisa if she wants to come, but considering you and Jisoo won’t be there, I doubt she will._

_Rosé: Then invite Jisoo WTF?_

_Jennie: Jisoo can’t come. She’s busy with rush since school started this week for them._

_Baekhyun: That ass backwards school. USC! FIGHT ON!_

_Jongdae: FIGHT ON!_

_Kyungsoo: Are we really doing this? I still haven’t recovered from that football game over the weekend._

_Lucas: FIGHT ON!_

_Kyungsoo: Okay, we are doing this. Fine. Fight on and stuff._

_Taeyong: College is weird._

_Jongin: This is why I avoided it._

_Jongdae: Told Wendy that we’re doing dinner at St. Felix and partying at The Abbey and she asked me why everything was religious themed. ASDFJKLAKLDK I’M ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING HELP!_

_Jennie: Stop making fun of her and just make sure she comes!_

_Rosé: Does she have a fake? Because if she doesn’t, she won’t get into The Abbey._

_Baekhyun: Ugh, good point._

_Lucas: Don’t worry. We can get her in. Kris is way cool with the owner. If he comes, we’re good._

_Baekhyun: That’s our VP!_

_Rosé: I need to know Kris. Make sure and introduce me to him tonight, Lucas._

_Lucas: I will! You’ll love him! I love him!_

_Jongin: Lisa has to be up early in the morning so she’s skipping this, but she told me to tell you that she wants to see your hair in person soon, so you’ll have to come over and hang this week._

_Kyungsoo: Sounds good! I miss Lisa!_

_Rosé: Please, we all have to be up early in the morning. She just doesn’t want to see Jongdae._

_Baekhyun: I know this may be shocking to you, Rosé, but some people really do make an effort to show up to their morning engagements not looking like they partied all night. I’m not one of those people, but others cough Lisa cough are._

_Jongin: She’s got a huge audition in the morning, so she really does have to stay in tonight._

_Jennie: Rosé, stop trying to cause drama. Lisa is mature and has moved on from Jongdae._

_Lucas: Wow this just got awkward._

_Jongdae: So back to Wendy. She’s coming because I told her mom that I wanted to take her to night church. LAOAOLAOALDSLDOFLPADKD_

Taeyong started snickering beside him, trying to keep from laughing out loud, and Kyungsoo giggled with him. Jongdae was a mess.

_Baekhyun: You are going to hell for this. And I’m following you straight down._

_Jongin: Is she really okay with it, Dae? I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable._

_Jongdae: Um, if my wife is homophobic then I need to know. She doesn’t get to be uncomfortable about this._

_Rosé: Probably not the time to point out that these are things you discuss before you get married, oh wait…_

_Baekhyun: Shouldn’t you be working?! Leave the chat, you Wiccan instigator. And you tell ‘em, Dae!_

_Jongdae: Actually, Rosé the Wiccan Instigator, I happen to know Wendy isn’t homophobic, but I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable going to a gay club, so I think this is a nice type of celebration to have her go to her first one. So there._

_Jennie: Aw that’s so sweet._

_Baekhyun: Does anyone else find it annoying to have to type the é in Rosé’s name each time? Fuck that, in chats you’re now Rose. I don’t have time for that extra tap._

_Rosé: Wow, Bryan, way to be xenophobic against names with characters outside of the English language._

_Jongin: Wait, you know big words?_

_Jongdae: Buuuuuuuurn_

_Chanyeol: It’s my first time going to a gay club too, so Wendy and I can be gay club virgins together._

_Chanyeol: Sorry, just realized how weird that sounded._

_Lucas: GAY CLUB VIRGINS!_

_Kyungsoo: GAY CLUB VIRGINS!_

_Jongdae: GAY CLUB VIRGINS!_

_Baekhyun: GAY CLUB VIRGINS IS NOW MY BAND NAME!!!!_

Taeyong laughed out loud that time, and Kyungsoo was losing it. Having to put his face down into his arm to contain his laughter.

_Chanyeol: You’re welcome?_

_Baekhyun: This is why I love you._

_Rosé: I want Gay Club Virgins on a T-shirt. Someone make this happen._

_Jennie: I can make you one!_

_Rosé: This is why you’re my Ride or Die. :*_

_Baekhyun: That’s everyone’s Christmas present this year. Make 20!_

_Rosé: Heading into work soon. Will hold tables for you guys in the back. Bring your fakes just in case. Love all of you assholes! :*_

A chorus of goodbyes followed and slowly everyone stopped texting as people dropped off to finish up things they were doing before they had to get ready to go out. Taeyong left to drive home to get ready for the night, so Kyungsoo headed to his room to get in a nap to get his mind and energy ready for what awaited him.

***

True to her word, Rosé had reserved a table for ten at the back of the tiny establishment. Had it been any other night, it probably would have been impossible, but seeing as it was a Tuesday night, the place was packed just enough without having to wait for a table.

Kyungsoo had debated what to wear to show off his new hair, and he decided to stick with the theme, finding a red and black checkerboard shirt in his closet that he hadn’t worn in a long time.

“Your hair is amazing,” Rosé said, giving him a hug right before he sat down at the table. “Love the color but love the undercut more.”

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo said, oddly happy to have pleased Rosé of all people.

Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongdae, Wendy, and Kyungsoo had all shared a ride to the restaurant together, and Jongin and Jennie had already been there waiting for them. When Jennie saw the hair, she immediately had Kyungsoo pose for her, and he did end up having to let her take several pictures.

Now that they were seated at the table, Jennie was going through them and telling him that he needed to put these on his Instagram.

“Babe,” Jongin said, pouring the sangria for both of them. “Soo doesn’t have social media, remember?”

“But you’re an actor,” Jennie said, looking at Kyungsoo flabbergasted. “You have to have a social media presence.”

“I’ve told him this before,” Jongin agreed. “He doesn’t listen.”

“Kyungsoo plans on being the first celeb to dominate the acting world with a name E! can’t pronounce and no social media for TMZ to exploit,” Jongdae teased, but Kyungsoo did very much plan to do just that.

“That won’t do,” Jennie said, shaking her head with a worried expression. “You have to get online even if to post a picture now and then. You have to give your fans something to get them excited for your work and upcoming projects.”

“I figured that when I make it big enough, I’ll just have my manager do all that,” Kyungsoo waved off.

“Have your manager do it now,” Jennie said, excited again.

“He doesn’t have one, babe,” Jongin told her, and Jennie looked stunned.

“Oh, look, Taeyong’s here,” Jongdae said, waving at Taeyong who was given a hug by Rosé then pointed toward the back.

“Hey, guys,” Taeyong said, and Kyungsoo smiled at him, scooting over so Taeyong could sit right next to him on the booth side of the tables that had been put together, as opposed to the other side of the table where people had to sit in chairs. Kyungsoo greeted him with a kiss, which Taeyong smiled into, and then he looked at him and said, “Yep, still love the hair.”

Kyungsoo chuckled and noticed Chanyeol staring with a weird look on his face, but then he quickly looked away and Jennie got Kyungsoo’s attention again.

“You need a manager,” Jennie said to him. “I know you just got an agent, but your agent can’t do what a manager needs to do for you. Like, make sure you have a social media presence and making sure you take on the right roles and do the right press.”

“I’m not there yet?” Kyungsoo said, kind of amused by how impassioned Jennie was about this. “I’m not even SAG yet.”

“That’s only by choice,” Jongdae pointed out with a mouth full of tuna poke that Rosé had brought out for them. “And Jennie’s right. You need a manager because outside of your acting, which definitely speaks for itself, you’re being difficult about your name and social media, so you’re not making things easier for yourself.”

“You have to play the game,” Jennie said, nodding at Jongdae’s point. “You can play it your way, but you still have to play it. There’s a balance. Maybe I can be your manager!”

Jongin coughed, and Kyungsoo’s eyes went wide.

“What?” Kyungsoo asked, wondering where that had come from.

“I’m great at social media, and I have great connections,” Jennie said, looking inspired. “I bet being a manager would be fun.”

“Babe,” Jongin said, looking like he wanted to say so much but not sure how to start.

“Don’t you have a manager?” Jongdae pointed out. “Managers don’t have managers. You have enough projects and stuff that keep you busy. I’m sure you’d be great at it, but Soo needs someone devoted entirely to his career.”

“Oh, that’s a good point,” Jennie nodded, looking a little disappointed, but understanding.

Jongin mouthed a “thank you” to Jongdae, who gave him a knowing smirk back before loading up on more poke.

“Chanyeol,” Jennie then said, turning her attention to him. “Why didn’t you bring Nayeon?”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, clearing his throat as he looked at her, “Well, Baek and Soo invited me, so I didn’t think I could invite someone else.”

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrow. When Wendy had asked him the same question in the car, he had said it was because Nayeon had been busy that night.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Jongin said, not looking that sorry. “I created that chat quick. Didn’t mean to leave you off.”

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol said, smiling at him. “I’m here now. I’m excited to go to my first gay club.”

“Gay Club Virgins!” Baekhyun cheered, and Kyungsoo groaned.

“Not this again,” Jongin said, shaking his head, but smiling just the same.

Rosé returned with more food just as Lucas arrived with Kris, and Kyungsoo instantly felt his mood get even brighter. He really did love Lucas’s energy. He knew Baekhyun would never make things official with him, but part of him kind of wished he would.

“Your hair is the best!” Lucas said as he saw it.

“It looks really cool,” Kris agreed, giving him a thumbs-up before sitting in the booth next to Taeyong, across from Lucas who sat in the chair next to Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo quickly introduced Kris to Rosé, as had been promised by Lucas, and then to everyone else who hadn’t met him yet. Then he put some of the mac and cheese on his plate after Baekhyun stated that he was going to marry it.

“So, Wendy,” Baekhyun asked in the course of their eating and drinking. “Are you excited about going to your first gay club?”

“I guess?” she said with a shrug.

“It’s not that different from a straight club,” Jongin assured her. “Instead of guys dancing up on girls, guys dance up on each other.”

“We should dance together,” Jennie said to Wendy. “And Jongin and Jongdae should dance together.”

Jongdae laughed out loud at this, and Jongin chuckled. Kyungsoo did too, thinking that would be kind of amusing.

“Tuesday nights at The Abbey are 90’s night,” Lucas then informed them. “So it’s really fun to dance to all those old songs.”

“I love 90s nights!” Jennie said, clapping. “This is going to be so fun.”

Kyungsoo was perfectly happy to just keep hanging out at the restaurant, eating, talking, and drinking. As far as he was concerned, the night was already great and he didn’t need to go to a club to make it better, but everyone was so excited that by the time the liquor had loosened everyone up enough, they headed out, Rosé hugging each and every one of them and telling to do everything she would do if she was there.

It appeared that Kris had let the owner know they were on their way because they had no issues getting past the bouncer, who did not card a single one of them. Since it was a Tuesday night, the club had plenty of people in it, but wasn’t packed, and everyone there seemed to be regulars, which made for a much more relaxed vibe.

“See, your mom can’t say I was lying,” Jongdae said to Wendy as he pointed out the statues of the saints, and then the crosses scattered all around the decadent space with its red velvet curtains and exposed wooden beam of the ceiling.

Jongin led Jennie straight to the dance floor as they were greeted by Haddaway’s “What Is Love?” and Kyungsoo laughed and decided to jump in with them, which seemed to be everyone’s cue to hit the dance floor before the bar. Honestly, with as much as they had drunk at St. Felix, they really hadn’t needed more fuel to go crazy on the dance floor. And when the DJ switched the song to “Macarena,” they all did their best to do the dance that went with it, Jongin and Taeyong leading them through it as they always did when it was one of those types of songs.

“Who’s ready for our go-go boys?” the DJ then announced, and the crowd cheered as “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred came on, just as a line of men wearing nothing but Speedo bikini bottoms walked onto the raised platforms to the sound of the crowd hollering and catcalling.

“Now you get the full gay club experience,” Baekhyun said to Wendy and Chanyeol, who both looked utterly embarrassed.

“I want to give them money!” Jennie said, jumping up and down. “Can we give them money?”

“Yeah,” Lucas said, “They’ll let you put dollar bills in their Speedos if you want.”

“I want to do that!” Jennie said.

“Me too!” Lucas said, jumping with her.

The guy closest to them, a rather beefy white guy who was gyrating and dropping it low wasn’t as prepared as he thought he was when Jennie and Lucas came at him waving their money. The go-go dancer laughed and then got down on the platform and leaned back so he could spread his legs open wide for them to put the money in.

“Oh my God,” Chanyeol said, covering his mouth with his hand, and Kyungsoo almost fell on the ground in laughter.

“This is the best!” Jongdae said, and he looked at Wendy. “Do you want to give him money too?”

If looks could kill, the one Wendy gave him would have, but Jongdae, being Jongdae, busted out laughing at it instead, which made Kyungsoo laugh even more.

“I think I need a drink,” Chanyeol said, and Jongdae cackled as he put his hands on Chanyeol’s back to shove him toward the bar.

“Let’s see if we can snag a table,” Jongin said.

They all headed toward the seating area to see what they could find and managed to find a table toward the brick wall, farther from the dance floor then they would have liked, but out of the way enough for Wendy and Chanyeol to sit at and feel a bit more comfortable if they wanted to sit out the rest of the night.

The Abbey was actually quite massive, with different sections, different floors, and different bars and viewpoints. One of Kyungsoo’s favorite parts of the club was the red room, with couches and a gothic fireplace that was perfect for lounging, and back in his scene days, making out. He wanted to peek in there for old time’s sake and show it to Taeyong, knowing he’d probably love it.

So, he grabbed Taeyong’s hand and led him away from the others, glad to find that the red room was still exactly as he remembered it, the fireplace burning bright.

“Whoa,” Taeyong said, “Whoa.” He took out his phone to take pictures of the room, attempting to capture the ambience just right, and then Kyungsoo sat on the couch in front of the fireplace and relaxed on it, knowing full well that he was giving Taeyong a shot he didn’t even know he wanted.

Taeyong looked at him, then brought up his phone to take the picture, and when he brought his phone down, he said, “If there weren’t other people in here, I’d be on top of you on that couch right now.”

Kyungsoo gave a throaty laugh, glad the effect he was going for had worked, and he reached his hand out for Taeyong to join him.

Within seconds they were kissing, the heat of the fireplace behind them almost as high as the heat they were generating between them, and Taeyong’s hands couldn’t stop groping Kyungsoo, especially his neck, where he’d thumb over the freshly shaven hair at the base causing Kyungsoo to shudder each time.

Kyungsoo wouldn’t have minded staying in that room the rest of the night, making out with Taeyong until it was time to go back to his place or Kyungsoo’s so that they could turn their making out into actual sex, but as the celebration of the night was about him, Baekhyun came to find him at some point, telling him that making out was for later and partying was for now.

“Besides,” Baekhyun said, as he grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand to pull him back to the main dance floor room. “Jongdae and Jongin are about to dance together, and you don’t want to miss it.”

That much was true, and Kyungsoo got to the dance floor just in time to see Jongin and Jongdae act like the fools that they were while they danced around to MC Hammer and stopped each time the iconic line of the song came on to say to each other “Can’t touch this.”

Kyungsoo was glad when Chanyeol and Wendy joined them again on the floor, thinking that maybe they were both feeling a bit more comfortable. Lucas and Baekhyun were mimicking Jongdae and Jongin, which had Kyungsoo dying even more than he normally would have been, and when the song switched to “Good Vibrations” by Marky Mark, the entire place went crazy and the go-go dancers started running around to different spots, some climbing onto the exposed pipes to hang from them and do crazy acrobatic moves.

“This is the most insane thing I have ever seen,” Chanyeol said, lifting his phone up to take a picture of the guy in a speedo now hanging over them.

“I love this!” Jennie said again, taking her phone out as well, and Wendy looked so amused by Jennie that she was actually laughing really hard, which was a great sight to see.

Kyungsoo then looked ahead at the go-go dancer that had moved to dance on the platform in front of them, and suddenly nothing in the world made sense. It took a moment for him to realize that he couldn’t hear anything, that time had stopped, that he had entered a very strange vortex where nothing made sense anymore.

But even before the go-go dancer had turned around, Kyungsoo knew he would recognize those dance moves anywhere. He would recognize the movement of that body anywhere. And he certainly would recognize the toned muscles of that lean dancer body any-fucking-where.

He suddenly couldn’t breathe, and when Yixing turned around to face their direction, Kyungsoo swore his heart stopped beating.

“Oh shit,” he heard Jongin say, the first indication of sound coming back into his reality, and the confirmation that Kyungsoo needed to know that he was not making this up.

That was Yixing. That was Yixing in a Speedo bikini. That was Yixing dancing in a Speedo bikini. That was Yixing dancing in a Speedo bikini on a platform directly in front of him.

“Oh fuck,” he heard Jongdae say next, and then questions were directed at Jongin and Jongdae, asking what was wrong.

It took another beat before Yixing saw him, and as he did, Kyungsoo could see the color drain from his face, his movements slowing and coming to a complete stop as he realized that he wasn’t imagining Kyungsoo being there in front of him.

For what seemed to be a long moment of suspension, they stared at each other, Kyungsoo disbelieving, and Yixing shocked. But then Yixing made the first move, taking a deep breath and hopping down from the platform, just as Jongdae whispered to their friends that he was Kyungsoo’s ex.

“THE non-ex?” Taeyong asked Jongdae.

“That douchebag one?” Chanyeol then asked.

“Yes, to both of those,” Jongdae confirmed.

But Kyungsoo tuned them out as Yixing now stood in front of him, and Jongin was quick to Kyungsoo’s side, giving Yixing the type of glare that he probably didn’t deserve right at this moment.

“This is… unexpected,” Yixing said, speaking first. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Kyungsoo said back, not sure what else to say.

And then Yixing cleared his throat, taking in Jongin, and then Jongdae who had come to stand on Kyungsoo’s other side, before looking back at Kyungsoo and nodding toward the bar.

“Wanna go talk?”

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes a little, trying to figure out if that’s what he wanted, but in the end, he shrugged and said, “Sure.”

“Need us to come with?” Jongin asked, his arms crossed and his tone unforgiving.

“No, I’m good, thanks,” Kyungsoo assured him, and he ran his hand through his hair, surprised when his hand emerged from his hair quicker than usual.

He followed Yixing to the furthest corner of the bar, and Kyungsoo tried to not think about how bizarre it was to be standing there talking to him while he wore nothing but a red Speedo, white socks that went up to his calves, and red sneakers.

“You said you weren’t part of the scene anymore, so I didn’t anticipate this ever happening,” Yixing said, running his own hand through his hair, looking nervous.

“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo finally asked him, realizing that’s what he needed to know.

“My data entry job doesn’t pay that much, so I do this at night to make more money,” Yixing explained, clearing his throat again. “You know I always liked to dance, so, I knew I could this. Plus, the tips are really good.”

Kyungsoo felt his stomach tumble a little, and he thought he might actually get sick if he thought about this too much.

“You literally went from being a closeted straight to dancing at a gay club for tips?” Kyungsoo had to ask, and yeah, his tone was judgmental.

“I’m doing what I have to do to survive,” Yixing told him, narrowing his eyes at him. “I’m sorry this doesn’t meet your standards.”

“I didn’t say that…”

“You didn’t have to,” Yixing cut him off. “I know how judgmental you get about things. This is fun for you and your friends, but heaven forbid a person does it to pay their rent.”

“I don’t care what people do,” Kyungsoo told him, not liking that analysis, “I just care about what you do.”

“I thought you didn’t care about me anymore?” Yixing threw back.

“I don’t,” Kyungsoo said, backpedaling. Shit. “I just… this just isn’t you.”

Yixing looked at him for a moment, and then he said, “You don’t know me anymore. I told you I was a different person, but you said that you didn’t care to know the person I am now. You never texted me after we met at the coffee shop. So…” Yixing shrugged, and Kyungsoo felt his stomach twist into knots.

He hadn’t texted him. Jongdae and Jongin had given him convincing arguments not to. But now, knowing he was doing this to try and get by, something inside of Kyungsoo felt awful about it all, and maybe if he had texted him back and had worked on a friendship with him, he could have convinced him to find a different kind of job to help with rent. Something that didn’t involve random men shoving dollar bills down his Speedo.

Kyungsoo looked at him concerned, knowing he had to say something, but not knowing what to say.

Yixing helped him out.

“Your hair looks really cool,” Yixing told him.

He had to let out a soft snort. What were the chances that he finally did something this drastic to his appearance, and he ended up running into Yixing? Was this the universe’s way of punishing him or looking out for him? How could he tell?

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo said. “I just got it done today.”

“It looks really great,” Yixing said, and then he gave a soft smile. “You look really great.” And then Yixing looked over at the group of friends, who were being really obvious about not trying to be obvious about looking at them. “So, which one of those good-looking guys is the boyfriend?”

Kyungsoo looked over to see that at least Jennie and Wendy were doing their best to dance along to the music and keep the party distracted from them.

“The one with the gray hair,” Kyungsoo told him. Taeyong wasn’t even pretending to not look in their direction. Neither was Chanyeol for that matter. “It was bright blue when I met him, but now it’s this really cool gray. He was the one that told me to try going red, or auburn I guess.”

Yixing nodded and looked back at Kyungsoo. “He’s very pretty,” he said. “And obviously has great taste.”

“And he actually calls me his boyfriend,” Kyungsoo pointed out, apparently still bitter even after their coffee talk and the month that had passed after it. “In public. To other people.”

“As he should,” Yixing said, taking the slight without issue. “I’m glad you found someone who treats you the way you deserve to be treated.”

Kyungsoo felt so off-balance by those words coming out of Yixing’s mouth. He really wasn’t the same person, and now Kyungsoo felt that he kinda wanted to get to know the new Yixing, regardless of the warnings that Jongin and Jongdae had given him.

He looked over at the platform with the dancers on it, then back at Yixing, and said, “I don’t want you to get in trouble. You should probably go back.”

“Will you stay?” Yixing asked him.

“I think I should go,” Kyungsoo told him, knowing there was no way he was going to have a good time if Yixing was going to be gyrating around with only a Speedo on.

Yixing nodded, as if knowing that’s what he was going to say, and he scratched the back of his head, unsure, something that Kyungsoo was so familiar with that the action took him back to when they were “together.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo then said, when Yixing hadn’t said anything, and then he furrowed his brows and thought to ask, “Do you work here every Tuesday night?”

Yixing gave a small smirk at the question as if knowing that Kyungsoo was asking which nights to avoid.

“Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturday,” Yixing told him, and Kyungsoo nodded.

“Okay, bye, I guess. Take care,” Kyungsoo said.

“You too,” Yixing said, giving him a soft smile before heading back to the platforms, but passing the one he had been at, and heading to the one furthest away.

The entire group of friends surrounded him immediately, with Jongin standing directly in front of him looking both concerned and livid.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo assured him with a smile, “But I think we should go.”

“We can go to Micky’s,” Lucas said, and bless him for being excited about it as if the mood hadn’t been unexpectedly brought down.

“Not as great, but doable,” Kris agreed.

The idea of going to another club wasn’t that appealing, but he didn’t want to kill the vibe, so he was glad when Jongdae did instead.

“It’s a school night,” Jongdae said, “It’s a sign we need to get our asses home. Also, it’s later than you think.”

“What time is it?” Baekhyun asked, taking his phone out of his jeans pocket to check.

“11:30,” Jongdae told him.

“Oh, shit,” Lucas said, surprised. “That is later than I thought. Usually I’d have bumped by now to get ready for the midnight to two stretch.”

“Same,” Jennie said, giving him a hi-five.

“Well, we won’t need to do that tonight,” Kris said, putting his arm around Lucas in a fond way. “I’m down for heading home tonight. I haven’t had this much fun in this short amount of time in a long time.”

“Agreed,” Baekhyun said. “We need to pre-game at Rosé’s place more often.”

“That mac and cheese,” Lucas said, his eyes widening.

“I’m down for that,” Kris agreed.

The group headed outside and called for their rides, trying to coordinate who was going where and with whom.

“Did you have fun?” Jennie asked Wendy, as they waited for their rides to arrive.

“I did,” Wendy told her with a smile.

“Did you have fun?” Jongdae then asked Chanyeol.

“I did,” Chanyeol said, looking embarrassed to be asked the question.

“Well, Baek,” Jongdae then said, “Looks like you’re going to have to change the name of your band.”

“No, never,” Baekhyun said, lifting a fist into the air. “Gay Club Virgins will live on.”

Taeyong took Kyungsoo’s hand into his and looked at him with a little bit of worry creasing between his eyes.

“You sure you want me to come over?” Taeyong asked him. “It’s been a wild night for you. I’d understand if you needed some time to yourself.”

“I really am fine,” Kyungsoo told him. “I want you to come over.” He squeezed his hand, to make sure he knew. “I want you to mess up my hair and remind me of all the reasons my life is so much better now that I’m with you instead of people who didn’t appreciate me at the time.”

Taeyong gave him a soft kiss, and then followed it with a warm smile, and said “I can do that.”

Kyungsoo felt content about that, but he couldn’t deny that a little part of him, deep inside, felt worried about Yixing. His life had collapsed into something so crazy that Kyungsoo didn’t even know what to make of Yixing’s current situation. He found that he wanted to help him, or maybe he couldn’t help him. Maybe he just wanted to be there for him.

Jongin and Jennie’s ride arrived first, and Jongin gave Kyungsoo a big hug and told him to call him if he wanted to talk at all.

Kyungsoo assured him he’d be fine and thanked him for a fun night. Jongdae and Wendy decided to take their own ride home so that they didn’t have to walk from Kyungsoo’s place to theirs, so Kyungsoo gave Jongdae a big hug when Jongdae repeated the sentiment of reaching out to him if he needed to talk.

And then their car pulled up, and that’s when Kyungsoo realized that Chanyeol and Kris were the only two left since both Taeyong and Lucas were coming back to their place with them.

“Are you guys riding together?” Kyungsoo asked, making sure they both had rides.

“Yeah, I’m close to Greek Row,” Chanyeol explained, crossing his arms and biting his lip.

“Oh, okay,” Kyungsoo nodded, and he got into the car and closed the door, snuggling into a very warm Taeyong who had put his arm around him.

It wasn’t until they passed Chanyeol’s apartment in the car that Kyungsoo realized that his apartment was closer to theirs than Greek Row. Maybe Chanyeol hadn’t realized that. Or maybe he didn’t want to try and squish into a car with the four of them. Either way, Kyungsoo was happy when they got dropped off, and he was even happier once he was naked in his bed with a naked Taeyong messing up his hair.


	13. Chapter 13

Jongin knew that it was just a matter of time before Jonghee showed up to the dance studio to find him and ask, “So mom and dad think you’re avoiding coming home.”

He honestly should have anticipated it, knowing that his family was too tight for him to pull a stunt like he had been pulling without repercussions. He took a long sip from his water bottle, before looking at her and shrugging.

“I’ve been busy,” Jongin then said, and before Jonghee could start in on him, he added, “What do you want me to say?”

“Why are you avoiding coming home?”

“I’ve been busy,” he reiterated, leaving the studio, knowing she’d come with him. He headed outside so that they weren’t around people if they were going to have this conversation.

“You’re always busy,” she said, crossing her arms and looking at him, trying to decipher the look in his eyes.

“This Summer Kyle thing really takes up all of my time,” Jongin explained.

“You act like I don’t know your schedule,” Jonghee called his bullshit, and she let out a huge sigh. So did Jongin. “Just cut the crap and tell me what’s going on. Is this about the conversation dad had with you after Jongdae’s birthday party?”

Of course, it was, and Jongin ran a hand through his sweaty hair, then shook it, knowing it must have looked a mess.

“Her parents hate me. My parents hate her,” Jongin confirmed, figuring they might as well just get through this conversation, “So we decided that we weren’t going to split up our time anymore trying to make people like us.”

Jonghee rolled her eyes, but Jongin didn’t care if she thought it was stupid. Honestly, Jennie and he, both had needed a mental break from dealing with the expectations of the other’s parents. It had been nice the past couple of weekends, spending time with just her, going on mini-dates around the city, and doing simple things like hiking after brunch or hitting the beach to watch the sunset.

“I told mom and dad to not push the issue,” she then said, now the one looking for words. “But you know they’re worried and just looking out for you. You know how they are. And…” Jonghee looked like she had so much to say, but she stopped herself and shut her mouth, looking off at nothing in frustration.

“I know,” Jongin said, and he did. “But they don’t have to be worried. I’m still me. I’m the one in the group that keeps it together and looks out for everyone because that’s how I was raised, and I don’t feel like I need to be anyone but myself in these situations. It’s not a peer pressure thing. My girlfriend and her friends have lives that are crazy, and I navigate it in the best way I know how given the person that I am.”

“You obviously like her enough to do that instead of taking yourself out of these situations altogether,” Jonghee remarked, and Jongin gave her a small smile for that.

“I do,” he confirmed, even though his smile had done that for him already.

“I honestly think that what freaked mom and dad out the most,” Jonghee then said, “Was Jongdae being as messed up as he was.”

“I’m not Jongdae,” Jongin pointed out.

“Right,” Jonghee nodded, “But up until that point, I think we all assumed that you, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo handled things in a similar way. So, seeing Jongdae having lost that much control was a bit worrisome.”

Jongin could understand that completely. He too had been a bit worried by a couple of things that night, but it was, after all, his birthday.

“We don’t handle things in a similar way,” Jongin told her, trying to think of how to follow that up. “It was his birthday, so he let loose a bit more. We’ve gone out since then, and he’s been fine.”

Jonghee nodded and then reached out to punch his arm. “Stop avoiding them,” she said. “You’re just proving them right in thinking that you’re changing. If it’s not a big deal, then don’t act like it is.”

He thought that was fair and said, “I’ll stop. But I’m not bringing Jennie with me. It’s too important for her to try and win them over, and I don’t want her being worried about it and spending all this energy to actively do something that will just need to happen naturally over time. If at all.”

“We don’t hate her,” Jonghee told him.

“But you don’t like her,” Jongin said, not letting her finish. “And she’s the type of person that needs to be liked. I just don’t want her stressed about this on top of everything else she’s stressed about.”

“I’ll let mom and dad know.” Jonghee looked at her phone and then said, “Since I drove all the way up here, how about lunch?”

“You’re buying,” Jongin teased, and Jonghee called him a brat, then went to make calls while he went to the bathroom to freshen up a bit.

***

Later that evening, Jongin headed over to Jongdae’s, still thinking about what Jonghee had said and wanting to check on him. Jongin felt guilty that his job with Summer Kyle was taking up so much of his time and keeping him from visiting Jongdae and Hannah more, so he made sure to pick a cute polar bear stuffed toy for Hannah, even though she wasn’t at an age yet where she’d care.

“Oooh for me?” Jongdae said when he opened the door for him.

“Nope, your present is me,” Jongin told him, noticing that Wendy’s and Jongdae’s moms were in the living room folding clothes. “Laundry day?”

“I feel like every day is laundry day now,” Jongdae remarked, walking to the living room to pick up a fresh set of towels that had been folded and stacked.

Jongin said hi to the moms, both smiling at him, and at least one of them genuinely happy to see him.

“How’s the video with that superstar going?” Jongdae’s mother asked. “Jongdae played me the song, and it was really good.”

“It’s actually the showcase we’re working on and also her appearance on Ellen,” he corrected her, “And both are going fine. I think.”

“You think?” Jongdae asked with a laugh, shoving towels into the small hallway closet.

“I’m so excited to see you on Ellen again,” Jongdae’s mother said, and Jongin let her know that this time he’d be more visible.

“Hannah’s sleeping,” Jongdae then told him, “We’ll give that to her when she wakes up. Let’s go to my room so I can put this away.”

Jongdae picked up a stack of clothes that belonged to him, and Jongin followed him to his room, which was a bit of a disaster with art supplies and projects everywhere, as well as clothes and notebooks and other items.

“Not to alarm you,” Jongin said, sitting on his bed, “But I think your room was searched by the FBI.”

“Very funny,” Jongdae said, sliding his closet door open to hang his clothes. “I’m too busy changing diapers and cleaning bottles to worry about my room.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jongin said, looking at one of his paintings in progress, which looked abstract, but also kind of like a watermelon. “Has your mom been in here because…”

Jongdae chuckled as he shook out a shirt before hanging it. “She wanted to clean it when she got here this morning, but I told her not to. I’ll do it tomorrow since I’ll be home all morning.”

Jongin moved some things over on the bed and made himself a space where he could sit, clutching the little polar bear, and then he said, “Dude, I still can’t believe you got Wendy to come to the gay club. Did she say anything about it after?”

“She said she had a good time,” Jongdae said, his smile bright at this. “It was hard to convince her to go. Ever since my birthday party, she hasn’t wanted to hang out with our crew like that.”

Jongin was not surprised to hear that, and said, “Yeah, that was a crazy night.”

“It wasn’t even the craziness of it,” Jongdae said, and now Jongin was surprised. “I guess she felt… well, I don’t know. Like at first that’s what I thought it was, but when I told her about Kyungsoo’s thing, she closed off, and that’s when she told me she didn’t want to go to anything my friends would be at.”

“That’s weird,” Jongin said, scrunching his nose.

“Yeah, I thought so too,” Jongdae agreed, “So I tried to get to the bottom of it, and it turns out that she was upset about the girls.”

Jongin raised his eyebrow, not sure he understood. “The girls?” he asked.

“Yeah, Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé, Nayeon, Shay, like all the girls,” Jongdae said, hanging his last pair of jeans, and then sliding the closet door shut. “She said that it made her feel insecure to be around all these beautiful girls, with their really cool fashion, and whatever else she mentioned that seemed just as dumb.”

“That is super dumb,” Jongin said, definitely not understanding. “Wendy’s just as pretty. Does she feel that way around Seulgi and Joy?”

“I have no idea,” Jongdae said, shrugging as he shoved some things on his bed over and joined him on it. “I told her that was the dumbest thing I ever heard. First of all, she’s beautiful too. Second of all, if she’s worried about fashion, we can go get her new clothes if she wants. But then she said that I was missing the point.”

“That wasn’t her point?” Jongin said, obviously missing it as well.

“No, apparently her point was that since she was a mom, she didn’t feel cool enough to hang out with those girls, and that was the moment I realized that Wendy’s been upset this whole time because she hasn’t reconciled who she is with being a mother. Like she thinks it’s two separate things. She was once this person that now, in her mind, doesn’t exist because she’s a mom, and she can’t figure out who she is now.”

“This sounds complicated,” Jongin said, furrowing his brows.

“That’s what I told her,” Jongdae said pointing at him with a nod. “I was like, you don’t have to stop being who you are just because we have a cool little Hannah in our life. She’s still young and still has to live her life too. And that’s why I made her come to Kyungsoo’s thing, even though she was saying she didn’t have anything to wear, and she hadn’t even showered, and blah blah blah. Anyway, her mom agreed with me, and she told her to go get ready and stop making excuses.”

“And she had a great time,” Jongin said, with a wide smile. “So hopefully that means she’s over that.”

“I hope so,” Jongdae said, letting out a heavy sigh. “I just need her to loosen up on other things as well.”

“What things?” Jongin asked, absently playing with the short legs of the polar bear. “She seems to be a lot nicer to you.”

“She is,” Jongdae confirmed with a nod. “Ever since that weird day, when she came back with me after I told her she should stay with her parents, she’s been nice to me.”

“Did you ever find out what that was about?”

“Eventually, yes. Apparently, she was surprised that I offered that as an option, and it made her finally realize that I was looking out for her and her best interests. So, I guess she decided on that day to stop hating me for breaking up with her.”

“Finally,” Jongin said, wondering how anyone could hold a grudge for that after they married the person. Then again, Wendy had never made sense to Jongin.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jongdae said with a snort. “So, we’ve been working on our friendship since then. It’s been pretty nice, and it’s helping me feel less lonely now to finally be going through this with her in a way where we’re on the same page or trying to be.”

“Does that mean the wedding is around the corner?” Jongin asked with raised eyebrows.

“I don’t know about that,” Jongdae said, moving his head from side to side as he squinted, “I think we’re closer, and my dad’s being pushy about it, but I really want Wendy and I to be… well this is going to sound dumb given the circumstances, but, we’re just working on our friendship. I want her to at least be my girlfriend again before the wedding. I know we’re married, but… do you get what I’m saying?”

“I do,” Jongin assured him with a warm smile. “You’re already married, but weddings should be romantic, so you want to be in an emotionally romantic place with her before you do it.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae said, looking relieved that he understood.

“And you want to make sure you get laid on your wedding night,” Jongin then added with a smirk.

Jongdae made a shocked noise and smacked his arm, but then laughed and said, “Yeah, that too.”

“Well, I’m ready to be your best man when the time comes,” Jongin said, knowing that somewhere in the world, Kyungsoo probably felt annoyed all of a sudden and didn’t know why.

Jongdae let out a laugh to let Jongin know he was funny, and then said, “I already told my brother he had to be my best man for the sole reason of not making you and Kyungsoo hate each other for life if I picked one over the other.”

“But I’m your best man in spirit, right?”

“You both are,” Jongdae said diplomatically, and it was Jongin’s turn to smack Jongdae on the arm. Jongdae laughed and rubbed his arm, and then he looked like he remembered something and said, “Hey, I got my invitation to Jennie’s Halloween thing. I told Wendy to start mentally preparing.”

Jongin let out a soft snort and looked a bit overwhelmed by it himself as he ran his hand through his hair.

“I don’t even know what to expect,” Jongin admitted. “Lisa said that whatever I’m expecting, triple it.”

“Huh, it is your first one,” Jongdae said realizing. “It feels like you’ve been dating her forever.”

Jongin smiled and said, “We’re almost at a year. I don’t think anyone expected us to last this long.”

“Kyungsoo sure didn’t,” Jongdae joked, and then clapped as he laughed at his own joke, but Jongin knew he was actually telling the truth.

“I think he’s warmed up to her,” Jongin said, hoping anyway. “But yeah, Jennie’s guest list was incredibly long. I know she invited Seulgi and Joy as well, so Wendy won’t be alone.”

“That’s good,” Jongdae said, looking a bit relieved by it. “I had someone in class ask me if I was invited and if I could get them in.”

“I’m bombarded on a daily basis,” Jongin said, commiserating. “At the studio, from people I haven’t talked to in a while, from people I only talk to once a year, from family members I don’t recall being in my family…”

Jongdae laughed and shook his head, saying, “No one told you to be the boyfriend. It’s worse if you’re the boyfriend.”

“Lisa said she doesn’t answer calls once the invites go out,” Jongin informed him, and then realized that he probably shouldn’t have brought up Lisa and quickly switched the topic. “I am excited to see what it’s all about though.”

Jongdae nodded, then said, “Lisa’s smart, you should follow her lead.” And then after a few seconds, he asked, “How’s she doing these days?”

“Really well,” Jongin replied. “She’s had some great auditions lately that have gone really well for her. She’s going to be on a TV show on Netflix. A dancer in a dream sequence where everything’s a musical or something like that. It’s just one episode, but hopefully, it’ll lead to more.”

“I’m so glad,” Jongdae said, his smile brightening. “She deserves everything.”

“She does,” Jongin had to agree. “Have you thought about how you’re going to react to seeing her at the Halloween party?”

“No,” Jongdae said, and then shrugged. “I doubt it’ll be a big deal. We’ll both be there. We may or may not run into each other with all the insanity. I’ll say ‘hi’ if I see her, and if she doesn’t want to say ‘hi’ back, that’s cool. I’m good with whatever she does.”

“That’s very mature of you,” Jongin complimented, and then they were both distracted by the sound of Hannah wailing through the walls.

“Welp, she’s up,” Jongdae said, getting up from the bed. “Let’s go see if that bear will calm her.”

Jongin chuckled as he got up and followed Jongdae back out to the living room where Jongdae’s mom was pacing as she spoke calming words to a very fussy Hannah. Jongin walked over with the bear and gave her a big smile, asking her how she was doing and if she liked the bear.

Hannah gave him her full attention and made little sounds as her legs kicked toward the bear, so Jongin pretended the bear was climbing up her legs, and she made more little sounds and even smiled, which made Jongin laugh.

“She smiled at me,” Jongin said, so excited.

“Yeah, she’s started doing that,” Jongdae said, like the proud dad he was. “She has the best smile.”

“I’ll take her,” Wendy said, coming over with a blanket. “I’ll feed her in my room.”

“I’m going to make you a post-feeding snack,” Jongdae told her, and Jongin noticed Wendy give a little smile as she went to her room with Hannah.

Jongdae’s mother caught it too, and Jongin said to her, “Looks like it’s starting to work out.”

“It does,” she nodded with a warm smile, and then she rubbed his arm and asked, “How are you? You’re looking too skinny.”

“Busy, tired, but good,” he assured her. “I promise I’m eating a lot. I’m just working it off more.”

“Then eat even more,” she said, laughing as she went to grab a stack of folded blankets to put away.

Jongin joined Jongdae in the kitchen where he was heating up a bowl of leftover rice and beef.

“My mom brought up all this Korean food with her,” Jongdae explained, “Want some?”

“I’m good,” Jongin said, “I should be going soon anyway. I have to get some sleep before waking up early for rehearsal.”

“Then you should eat dinner before you leave,” Jongdae told him. “Otherwise you’ll go to bed on an empty stomach and won’t have the energy for rehearsal.”

Jongin realized he may have had a point and accepted a plate of food when Jongdae heated one up for him. They sat together to eat at the table, and then Jongdae brought up something that Jongin had meant to bring up but had forgotten about in the midst of everything they had talked about.

“Dude,” Jongdae said, his eyes widening, “So Yixing at the club.”

“Oh my God, I know,” Jongin said, his eyes wide as well. “That was a surprise.”

“Okay, but are we going to talk about how Taeyong, as Kyungsoo’s boyfriend, rightfully had his eyes on them the whole time they were conversing, and Chanyeol, who is not his boyfriend, did too?”

Jongin snickered because yeah, how could he not notice.

“So, I maybe had mentioned to Jennie before that Chanyeol had a thing for Kyungsoo, and so on our way home that night, she kept saying how she couldn’t believe how she had never noticed how obvious Chanyeol was about it before.”

Jongdae laughed and said, “Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.”

“I wish I could,” Jongin said, sighing as he dipped his meat in the gochujang. “I wanted to hit him for looking more worried than Taeyong did.”

“He really did,” Jongdae said, looking disbelieving. “I asked Kyungsoo how he was feeling about things after that, and he just shrugged it off and said he was fine and switched the topic.”

“I hate this,” Jongin said, feeling all his frustrations come back. “You know how Soo is. He’s going to take this as a sign or something that Yixing is meant to be in his life.”

“Yeah…” Jongdae said, wrinkling his nose. “Guess this was all inevitable once Yixing came back home. He made contact. It was all over at that moment.”

It was, and Jongin hated the fact so much.

“Well on the bright side,” Jongin said. “Kyungsoo’s plus one will be Taeyong, so at least we don’t have to worry about Yixing at the Halloween party.”

Jongdae raised his eyebrow and said, “You sure about that? It’s not like Kyungsoo can’t text Jennie and ask for her to invite Yixing. You know she’d do it for him.”

“Please don’t put that in the atmosphere,” Jongin whined. “This party’s already going to be a nightmare. I don’t need a crazy Kyungsoo love triangle, actually square, to happen.”

“It’s already happened,” Jongdae said with a cackle. “Kyungsoo had all his boyfriends at the club for his hair celebration. He’s such a ho.”

“He really is,” Jongin sighed. “What are we going to do with our Kyungsoo?”

“Just keep being there for him when all his bad relationship choices crumble down around him,” Jongdae nodded.

Jongin nodded too, knowing they had no choice.

***

When Jongin finally got home later that night, he found Rosé hanging out with Lisa on the couch, the TV on in the background as they faced each other while talking.

“Hey,” Jongin said as he toed off his sneakers and closed the door behind him.

“Hey!” Rosé said, waving at him. “Just the person I was gossiping about.”

“I’ll go to my room so you can continue,” Jongin joked, and he headed to his room.

Lisa laughed and said, “Rosé was actually gossiping about Jennie’s guestlist for the Halloween party.”

“And how you got her to invite this Summer Kyle girl,” Rosé pointed out.

“I did,” Jongin called out, leaving his door open so he could stay involved in the conversation as he changed out of his clothes into his pajamas. “She needs the exposure since her career is getting started. It’s good promo.”

“So now you’re her publicist and her choreographer and her video ho?” Rosé asked, then laughed at her own joke.

“Her visibility helps my visibility,” Jongin pointed out, padding back out to the living room to sit in their armchair as he faced them and caught up on his texts and messages for a bit before heading to sleep.

“Fair,” Rosé acknowledged.

“Have you seen the latest list?” Jongin then thought to ask her. “Please tell me that Yixing’s name isn’t anywhere on it.”

“Dude,” Rosé said, clapping as she let out a loud laugh. “I want Yixing there so bad. I’m so mad that I missed this, and I’m even more mad that no one recorded this moment for me.”

“I can’t believe that happened,” Lisa said, her eyes looking disbelieving. “When Jennie told us all about it, I was horrified. Like I had witnessed it in person.”

“I went Saturday night to see him for myself,” Rosé let them know, “And that boy can move. I know why Kyungsoo was so sprung off him. I gave him a twenty.”

“Stop,” Lisa said, slapping Rosé’s knee.

“What? He’s hot!”

Jongin felt his stomach tumble, not wanting to ask, but having to as he looked at Rosé. “Please tell me that you didn’t get Jennie to invite him.”

“I don’t know his contact info,” Rosé pointed out, and Jongin let out a sigh of relief. “But if I did, I would have.”

“Look,” Jongin said, trying to make sure he was being clear, “The situation between Kyungsoo and Yixing was a very bad one. He was horrible to Kyungsoo, and we don’t support any reconciliation.”

“Exactly,” Lisa said, knowing full well since she had to deal with all of Jongin’s fears about Yixing being back in Kyungsoo’s life.

“But it’s so juicy,” Rosé said, narrowing her eyes as if she could visualize the drama. “Though maybe not as juicy as Chanyeol asking Jennie to add some random girl to the invite list that isn’t Nayeon.”

“What?” Jongin said, eyes widening as he zeroed in on Rosé.

“What random girl?” Lisa asked, obviously Rosé not having brought this up to her earlier in their conversation.

“No clue,” Rosé shrugged. “Some girl named Sana with some Japanese last name. I asked Jennie who she was, and she said she didn’t know but that Chanyeol said he owed her a favor and that it would mean a lot to him if he could add her.”

Jongin wondered who he could ask to find out who this girl was, and he decided to try his luck with Baekhyun since he’d more than likely know.

“Let me figure it out,” Jongin told them, as he pulled up his messaging app.

_Jongin: Hey, do you know who this girl Sana is that Chanyeol knows?_

“Are you asking him?” Rosé asked, eyes glistening in amusement and hopeful gossip.

“Baek,” Jongin told her.

“Oh, good call,” Rosé nodded.

“Why are we asking?” Lisa wondered, looking between them. “He said she did him a favor. It’s not unusual for us to ask Jennie to invite other people. All she cares about is that they don’t snitch on what goes on at the party.”

“Because who invites another girl when they have a girlfriend?” Rosé said. “Oh wait, Jongin does.”

“Mine is strictly professional,” Jongin told her, even though he didn’t need to. “Try again, you instigator.”

_Baekhyun: Why do you ask?_

_Jongin: Rosé just told me that Chanyeol asked Jennie to add her to the invite list for the Halloween party._

_Baekhyun: No_

_Jongin: No, you don’t know who she is?_

_Baekhyun: No, as in he did not. Tell me he did not._

_Jongin: He did, and she did, so who is she?_

_Baekhyun: Fucking shit fuck shit why?! Tell me this is an early April Fools. Tell me you’re pranking me. Tell me anything._

_Jongin: Who the hell is she?!_

_Baekhyun: You don’t want to know the answer to that. Pretend you know nothing._

_Jongin: Okay, now I definitely need to know._

“What’s he saying?” Rosé said, “I can tell from your expression that it’s good.”

“He’s not saying,” Jongin told her. “I’m trying to get him to tell me, but he just keeps saying to tell him that it’s a joke.”

“Oh shit,” Rosé said, giggling. “Did we expose a side piece?”

“No,” Lisa said, looking confused and a little concerned, “Who would be stupid enough to invite their side piece to a party their main is at?”

“Chanyeol,” Jongin and Rosé said at the same time.

Lisa sighed, knowing they were right.

_Baekhyun: I’m sworn to secrecy._

_Jongin: Fuck that. Is Chanyeol cheating on Nayeon with this Sana girl?_

_Baekhyun: I’m sworn to secrecy._

_Jongin: I’m going to take that as a yes. Does Kyungsoo know?_

_Baekhyun: Listen. Don’t say anything, okay? Yes, Kyungsoo knows. But he’s the only other person. I don’t want anyone to confront Chanyeol about this because he needs to learn his lesson. And I can’t even imagine how Nayeon is going to react to knowing he invited Sana, but it might be the thing to finally end it. So stay quiet and let it be._

_Jongin: How long has this been going on? And if I was Nayeon, if I found out, I would be very suspicious._

_Baekhyun: Too long. And she knows already. Why she hasn’t confronted him about it yet, I don’t know._

_Jongin: WAIT WHAT? SHE KNOWS?_

_Baekhyun: Yes, and Sana knows that she knows. This is going to be so bad, but I can’t help him with this. He has to learn that it’s not okay._

_Jongin: I won’t say a thing. Well, except to Rosé, Lisa, and Jennie, who obviously can put two and two together as well._

_Baekhyun: Jesus, Rosé’s going to tell everyone. Hopefully this all ends soon. Also, you may as well know that Jisoo knows too. Chanyeol apparently confessed it to her, and she came to me about it. Basically, everyone except Chanyeol knows._

_Jongin: Does Dae know?_

_Baekhyun: I haven’t told him, so unless Soo’s told him, then probably not._

_Jongin: Noted._

_Baekhyun: Please don’t tell anyone else. This is already about to be bad enough._

_Jongin: Got it. Don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure Rosé stays quiet._

_Baekhyun:_ _👍_

Jongin looked at the two girls staring at him and said, “This is crazy.”

“Is it his side piece?” Rosé asked in anticipation of confirmation.

“It is, and worse than that, Nayeon knows about it already.”

“What?” Lisa and Rosé both asked in shock.

“Yep,” Jongin nodded. “Baek says not to say anything and to keep it a secret because Chanyeol has to learn his lesson. So no one say anything.”

“Why hasn’t Nayeon said anything?” Lisa asked.

“Baek doesn’t know why,” Jongin said, noticing Rosé texting on her phone. “Don’t tell anyone!”

“I’m just telling Jennie,” Rosé said, texting quicker than he had ever seen her text.

“Tell Jennie not to tell anyone,” Jongin said, “And to not change anything either. Just let this all play out.”

“I have to tell Jisoo,” Rosé then said.

“She already knows,” Jongin told her, and Rosé gasped and looked at him.

“How could she keep such a good secret from us?” Rosé said, then went back to texting.

“Why would Chanyeol cheat on Nayeon?” Lisa asked, looking upset and disappointed.

Jongin had a theory on that, mostly based on the fact that he really wanted to be with Kyungsoo but was in denial and was trying to prove otherwise by dating a girl that he didn’t really care much for, but he kept it to himself and instead said, “I don’t know.”

“This Halloween party is going to be so lit,” Rosé said, her eyes wild in excitement.

Jongin hoped not. Jongin hoped that either Nayeon confronted Chanyeol soon about it, or he got caught soon. Either way, this definitely needed to be resolved before that Halloween party happened, otherwise it was going to turn into a huger mess than they needed it to be.


	14. Chapter 14

Kyungsoo had done a great job of letting people know that he was fine after the “Yixing club incident” and an even better job of convincing himself that he was fine, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. In class, in the shower, while eating, while trying to sleep, he kept thinking about it, and on the morning of October 7, Kyungsoo took out his phone and fired off a simple text to him.

_Kyungsoo: Happy birthday._

_Yixing: Thanks._

The fact that Kyungsoo smiled at the response, made him realize that this was the right thing to do. Sure, there were things that Kyungsoo didn’t think he could forgive Yixing for, but this was a new Yixing, and he couldn’t help it. He wanted to get to know him better. Maybe he wanted to see that Yixing was telling the truth. Maybe this would give him the closure that he had always craved from their relationship.

_Kyungsoo: Doing anything fun for your birthday?_

_Yixing: Working._

_Kyungsoo: That doesn’t sound fun._

_Yixing: Day working won’t be. Night working will be._

_Kyungsoo: LOL. You did look like you were having fun on that stage before you saw me._

_Yixing: It’s a fun gig. It’s nice to let loose and get paid for it._

_Kyungsoo: I bet. So how about I treat you to a birthday lunch or dinner to celebrate today?_

_Yixing: You don’t have to do that._

_Kyungsoo: I want to. It didn’t sound like you were going to celebrate, and that’s just wrong._

_Yixing: I’m pretty sure the guys at the club have something planned for me._

_Kyungsoo: Doesn’t count. You pick the place. What are you in the mood for?_

_Yixing: There’s a Filipino restaurant I’ve been wanting to try, if you’re down for that._

_Kyungsoo: Sounds good. Want to meet there or should I pick you up?_

_Yixing: Let’s meet there._

Kyungsoo supposed he couldn’t blame Yixing for being tentative about this, but Kyungsoo didn’t think that texting through messages was the best way to tell him that he wanted to give a friendship a try.

So, he went to shower instead and decided to throw on some dark wash jeans and a nice patterned gray long-sleeve cotton shirt, keeping the look simple. He was nervous, and somehow wearing the right thing seemed important all of a sudden.

As he had mentioned to Taeyong, it was hard to make his hair look cool again like it had been on that first day, but with the undercut, it still managed to look cool when it was down and falling around the top of his head.

Feeling content enough and confident enough to have lunch with Yixing, he left and headed to the Filipino restaurant, finding street parking and paying the meter before heading inside, where once again, Yixing was waiting for him, also looking nice in his own long-sleeved cotton olive green shirt, his black hair down and around his face as well, and studying the menu.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, sitting across from him at the table, and Yixing looked at him, smiling in a way where his dimples were highlighted. Kyungsoo wanted to swoon at the sight of one of his many weaknesses. “I’m on time, so no one told you to be early.”

“I just got here,” Yixing told him, taking him in, and he smiled more, which seemed to mean that he liked what he saw. Kyungsoo’s heart may have fluttered a little, and he mentally told himself to chill. “Maybe a few minutes earlier than you. I was worried about parking.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded, opening the menu to see what he wanted. “What are you getting?”

“I was thinking of getting the chicken adobo,” he answered. “And some lumpia.”

“Same,” Kyungsoo said, closing his menu.

Their server came to get their order, and they placed their identical food orders, with Yixing ordering calamansi juice with his and Kyungsoo opting for coconut water.

And then they sat for a moment in silence, both wondering what to say first.

“So how long have you been working at the club?” Kyungsoo decided to ask, and Yixing let out a soft chuckle, like maybe he should have expected that to be the topic of conversation most on Kyungsoo’s mind.

“Maybe a month or so,” Yixing said, letting his fingers tap lightly on the top of the black table. “I got in touch with some old friends from the scene and one of them was working there and hooked me up with the job.”

“Oh good,” Kyungsoo said, relieved to hear that he still had some friends he could rely on. It made him feel better about a lot of things. “That’s cool.”

“Yeah,” Yixing agreed, giving him another soft smile. “It’s been a fun gig so far. Definitely more interesting and livelier than data entry.”

“I bet,” Kyungsoo said, chuckling. “Maybe you can quit the data entry thing and just do the club full-time.”

“They don’t have any full-time shifts for the dancers,” he said, smiling at the server who dropped off their drinks and thanking her before looking back at Kyungsoo. “And the data entry one will look a little better on my resume for what I want to do. Or what I think I want to do.” Yixing sighed and shook his head, grabbing the paper straw and taking a sip of his drink.

Kyungsoo drank some of his coconut water before saying, “I know you went to college to study International Business or something like that, right?”

“Something like that,” Yixing nodded. “I switched to International Relations though. So that’s what I’m studying at LMU. International Relations with an emphasis on Human Rights. And I have no idea what I’m going to do with that degree after I get it, but for now, I’m going with it.”

“Maybe you can be an ambassador,” Kyungsoo said, his eyebrows raising in the excitement of the possibility. “How cool would that be? You could live everywhere.”

Yixing smiled at his enthusiasm, then said, “My ex was passionate about several causes and did a lot of work for underrepresented communities. I think it’s part of what made me so attracted to him. He was… the exact opposite of me. Fearless. Willing to put the needs of others before his own. Courageous enough to stand up for things he believed in. He’s the reason I switched my major. After he died, I remember thinking that it wasn’t fair that someone who was going to do so much for other people was taken away so early, so I feel that I need to take it up in his place somehow.”

“That’s a very big responsibility to take on,” Kyungsoo said, surprised to hear this.

“I know,” Yixing said with a humble smile. “And I’m not sure I can, but I figured I could give it a shot. It’s not like I know what else to do with my life.” He shrugged, and then gave a little smirk and said, “It’s not like we were all born knowing we were meant to be actors.”

“I had a moment where I thought I was meant to be a professional chef,” Kyungsoo joked. “But I spent the day in one of Jongin’s restaurants watching the kitchen staff work and decided that maybe not so much.”

Yixing let out a dorky laugh, the kind that made his lazy eyes crinkle, and Kyungsoo realized he had missed that dorky laugh a lot.

“You were meant to be an actor,” Yixing then said, “But no one says you can’t still be a professional chef later. You can use your acting clout to create a cool restaurant.”

“Maybe,” Kyungsoo said, “Along with my music that I’ll want to do. I have a big list.”

“You always did,” Yixing nodded, looking as if memories were flooding him. “I always admired that about you.”

“Why?” Kyungsoo looked at him unsure of why he would say that. “You always had a big list too. Yours was bigger than mine.”

“Mine was fantasy,” Yixing waved off. “I knew I’d never get to really pursue them. I had to pursue my parents’ dreams for me.”

“You’re literally dancing now,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “And studying what you want in school. It sucks that your parents did what they did, but you’re now getting to really do whatever you want.”

Yixing nodded as if the thought may have occurred to him but he hadn’t bothered to really entertain it.

“Have you tried talking to your parents again since we last talked?” Kyungsoo treaded since he had brought it up anyway.

“I can’t,” Yixing said, taking another sip of his drink. “I tried to call them, but they ended up blocking me, so I can’t call them or text them. I started emailing them, but when I hadn’t heard from them, I called my dad’s assistant to ask if he was getting them, and she let me know that my parents had blocked my email address so they wouldn’t see my messages.”

“What the fuck?” Kyungsoo said, wondering why these people had to be so extreme. To be fair, Kyungsoo had never actually met Yixing’s parents in person, but he had no idea they were this intense, even if Yixing had always mentioned how intense they were.

“Yeah, so they’ve blocked all ways for me to contact them,” he said, taking the paper straw out of his drink and laying it across the top so it wouldn’t wither while they waited for their food.

Kyungsoo copied him and did the same.

“That’s so insane,” Kyungsoo remarked.

“They said I was dead to them, so,” Yixing shrugged. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with that. Like, you gave birth to me, you raised me, and because of this one thing, you refuse to believe I exist. It makes no sense. My grandparents don’t like that I’m gay either, but they don’t agree with what my parents are doing. My grandfather explained it as my parents feeling they made a mistake in having me, which, you know, made me feel all the better.”

“You’re not a mistake,” Kyungsoo told him, and Yixing snorted.

“You sure about that?” Yixing said, giving him a look of knowing better. “You, more than anyone, know that I’ve been a pretty shitty person most of my life. It didn’t occur to me until all this happened, that it was because I got it from them. I’m actively trying to change that, but it’s hard. I am their son, or… at least their genetic offspring, so it’s hard for me to figure out what the bad parts are from the good.”

“This nice, civil conversation between us where you’re being honest is the good,” Kyungsoo told him. “I can help you with this exercise.”

Yixing’s eyes seemed to twinkle as he looked at him with amusement, “I guess this is the part where I ask you what angle you’re playing here. You didn’t want me in your life anymore. But here we are.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, knowing he’d have to explain himself. “I guess… seeing you at the club, doing that for a half-living, sort of made me think that you might need a friend.”

“I see,” Yixing said, nodding, knowing, and Kyungsoo twisted his lips to the side. “So, you’re playing the part of the good, little rich boy who wants to save the poor bad boy. Cute.”

“You don’t have to say it like that,” Kyungsoo mumbled. “And anyway, you’re the one that said you didn’t have any friends or family anymore.”

“I can make new friends,” Yixing said, “And among them, I will find a new family. I’m not a charity case. I extended that olive branch to you, and if this is what’s making you accept it, then I really don’t need a friend like that in my life.”

“That’s fair,” Kyungsoo said, knowing he sounded dumb. “I just felt like I could help somehow, but of course you’ve got it all under control.”

“I don’t have it under control,” Yixing pointed out, “But I’m not helpless either. I’m willing to do what I have to do to make sure I’m okay.”

“I thought you might be lonely,” Kyungsoo then blurted out, and maybe he shouldn’t have. He had no idea why his thoughts were suddenly confused.

Yixing took a moment, to both look at him and think about those words, and then he said, “I am. You’re right on that one. But I don’t feel lonely all the time. Just when I’m at home sometimes, bored, alone with my thoughts and not having anyone to call, or anyone to check up on, or knowing that no one’s going to check up on me.”

“If we were friends again,” Kyungsoo said with a cheesy smile, “I would check up on you.”

Yixing smiled at him too, though in a more contemplative way, and then he said, “And what would your boyfriend think about us being friends again?”

“He’d hate it,” Kyungsoo let him know. “But only because I’ve told him all about the hell you put me through, so he kind of really hates you.”

“That’s just great.” Yixing let out a soft snort. “I’m sure Jongin and Jongdae would hate it too.”

“Yep,” Kyungsoo said, nodding emphatically, but not losing his smile.

“And any of your other friends you’ve told about us…”

“Them too,” Kyungsoo confirmed.

“This friendship sounds like it’s meant to punish me,” Yixing remarked, and Kyungsoo laughed.

“If you’re being honest,” Kyungsoo told him. “Then I think, over time, if they see how you’ve changed for the better, they would slowly start to forgive you and give you another chance.”

“Have you forgiven me?” Yixing asked him, his eyes looking a bit hopeful.

“Not entirely. Not yet,” Kyungsoo let him know, and Yixing looked as if he accepted that. “But we’ll see what happens.”

“We will,” Yixing agreed.

When their food was brought out, they both dove right in, enjoying the flavors and commenting on how good it was. And then Yixing brought up friends again, but in a way that amused Kyungsoo.

“So, you seem to have a new group of friends,” Yixing said, “And they’re all really good looking.”

“It’s Jongin’s fault,” Kyungsoo said through a mouth full of rice. “He started dating Jennie Kim and our social circle tripled. You should’ve been at Jongdae’s birthday party. It was supposed to be an intimate night at the _noraebang_ and it ended up being like 20 people.”

“Jennie Kim the social media girl?” Yixing asked.

“Yeah, she was at the club when I saw you,” Kyungsoo confirmed.

But that didn’t seem to be the part that Yixing was hung up on. Instead he asked, “How did Jongin go from dating Krystal to a social media influencer? Krystal was all substance, and Jennie Kim seems very superficial. At least based on things I’ve heard or been told by people who talk about her.”

“Yeah, I had the same question,” Kyungsoo nodded. “They were set up by a mutual friend, and at first I wasn’t behind it, but now I have to admit that Jennie’s really nice, and she has a lot more substance than people think she does.”

“It just doesn’t seem like Jongin though,” Yixing said, still looking as if he was trying to reconcile this in his mind. “Then again, I was one of those people who was shocked when he and Krystal broke up.”

“I was too,” Kyungsoo said, the sentiment being one that most of their friends’ group had shared. He vividly remembered Luna crying about it and saying what hope did any of them have if Krystal and Jongin couldn’t make it work.

Kyungsoo had thought she was being a little overdramatic at the time until it hit him that he kind of agreed. Krystal and Jongin had seemed meant for each other, and it still didn’t make sense to him sometimes that they hadn’t worked out.

“I asked Amber why Krystal had made that decision,” Yixing said as he grabbed a lumpia, “It seemed they were making it work with her in New York and him starting his dance career.”

“I guess the distance was too much,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “All I know is that she came back to visit and told him that she didn’t want to do it anymore. I think part of her had hoped that Jongin would base his dancing career out of New York to be with her, but he was getting so many opportunities here that it didn’t make sense for him to go there.”

“I could see that,” Yixing nodded, finishing the lumpia he held.

Kyungsoo seemed annoyed for a second as he thought about things, and then he said, “You know, for all of Jennie’s faults, I think she’s exactly the type of person that Jongin needed to date.”

“How so?” Yixing asked, wiping his fingers with his napkin before picking up his fork again.

“He’s changed a bit,” Kyungsoo explained. “In a good way. I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s this confidence he has now that wasn’t there before. Like, he’s more sure of himself, and I think she’s a big part of that. Krystal always kept it real with him, but Jennie likes to make people feel good, so she praises him a lot and brags about him in ways that he’ll hear, and the ego boost is helping him with his own projects that he takes on.”

“Are you afraid he might get too cocky?” Yixing asked with raised eyebrows.

“I don’t think he will,” Kyungsoo said, thinking about it. “He’s still very Jongin. At least so far. I guess we’ll see if that changes, but I feel if it did, his family would put him back in his place.”

Yixing smiled at that then cocked his head a little and asked, “And what about you? Have you changed a bit courtesy of your boyfriend? I’m sure he has a name.”

“Taeyong,” Kyungsoo provided. “And, I don’t know. I guess you’d have to ask Nini or Dae. I think I’m the same.”

“Just more spoiled and loved up?” Yixing offered, and Kyungsoo broke into a big smile and did a little shoulder dance.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo then said, as if his actions hadn’t confirmed it. “Taeyong doesn’t really spoil me. Not in the way Jennie does to Jongin, but he does it in little ways. Like he’ll bring me food or hang out with me and amuse me. He’s a very amusing person.”

“How did you meet him?”

“Jongin set us up on a blind date,” Kyungsoo told him, mixing around the rest of the marinade from the chicken with what was left of his rice. “It was weird, but we decided we liked each other enough to go on another date. He challenges me, which is cool. He doesn’t come from the same background as we do, so he sees things in ways that I don’t.”

“What’s his background?” Yixing asked, and Kyungsoo should’ve expected him to be intrigued.

“He’s Canadian,” Kyungsoo said with a chuckle, “But he didn’t grow up with his parents. His parents live in South Korea, and they sent him to be raised by his aunt and uncle in Canada. They didn’t have much, and he wasn’t really their kid, so… I don’t know. Honestly, he doesn’t talk much about it. I know he doesn’t really talk to his parents either, but he’s never told me exactly why. I’ve always assumed he resents them for shipping him off, but who knows.”

“Sounds like something you’d want to find out about the guy you’re with,” Yixing pointed out.

“I do,” Kyungsoo assured him. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to know. But I don’t want to push him with something he may not feel comfortable talking about. I get little bits here and there, and he’ll let a new piece of the puzzle slip from time to time. I can wait him out.”

Yixing looked at him with fondness, maybe more memories flooding his mind, and she said, “You’re such a good boyfriend. You always were.”

“How would you know that?” Kyungsoo said, raising an eyebrow at him. “I wasn’t your boyfriend, remember?”

“Yeah,” Yixing said, pushing his lower lip into a small pout. “You were a great friend, who was a boy, who I also liked to hook up with. How’s that?”

“That works,” Kyungsoo told him, wanting to poke that pout off his face. “Now I can be a great friend, who’s a boy, that you don’t hook up with.”

Yixing looked at him with warmth and said, “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” Kyungsoo admitted. “That’s my birthday present to you. The meal, you’re buying.”

“Oh,” Yixing said, looking surprised, and then Kyungsoo laughed, and Yixing chuckled, realizing he had meant it as a joke. “You really don’t have to buy me lunch though.”

“Of course, I do,” Kyungsoo said, “It’s your birthday. And they better buy you all your drinks tonight at the club.”

“My friend asked me what flavor cake I like, so I’m guessing that’s what’s in store,” Yixing told him, seeming to be excited by it. “You should come by if you’re not doing anything tonight.”

“Tempting,” Kyungsoo said with a small laugh, “But Taeyong and I are doing dinner tonight before I head home for the weekend.”

“You sure you left enough room?” Yixing teased him, pointing to Kyungsoo’s nearly empty plate.

“It’ll be a struggle, but I think I can fit more in later,” Kyungsoo said, patting his tummy.

“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have eaten this much before having to wear only a Speedo tonight,” Yixing said, putting down his fork.

“Please, a little pot belly is cute as fuck,” Kyungsoo said, patting his own again, and Yixing chuckled at him.

Kyungsoo paid the bill and they parted ways, Kyungsoo promising to check up on him, and Yixing chuckling about it, his dimples deep.

***

As Yixing had warned, when Kyungsoo ended up at dinner with Taeyong that night, he didn’t really have a lot of room for food, and he managed three pieces of sushi before he realized he wouldn’t be able to actually eat a lot.

“Not hungry?” Taeyong asked him, his eyebrows raised as he ate his sashimi.

“I had a big lunch,” Kyungsoo told him, and then he realized that he needed to tell him about that lunch. He took a big drink of water from his glass and then said, “I actually had lunch with Yixing today.”

Taeyong looked at him, his eyes searching as he continued to chew.

“It’s his birthday,” Kyungsoo explained. “And, you know, since his parents disowned him and he lost a lot of his friends, I wanted to take him out to lunch. As a birthday present.”

Taeyong kept watching him, and he picked up another piece of sashimi to eat as he did so.

“And we talked,” Kyungsoo ventured on, wondering what it meant that Taeyong was being so silent. “It went well. We decided to be friends again.”

Taeyong nodded and waited to finish chewing and swallowing before he asked, “Why?”

“Why what?” Kyungsoo asked, wondering why he suddenly felt nervous about his conversation. He rubbed his hand on his jeans as he held his chopsticks with the other.

“Why do you want to be his friend again?” Taeyong asked, sounding patient.

“Because he was my friend before,” Kyungsoo said, “And it wasn’t great, but he says he’s changed, and I believe him, and I want to give him a second chance. If you change, you deserve a second chance, right?”

Taeyong looked at him a moment, then he said, “Have you never heard that great Maya Angelou quote? When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, wanting to roll his eyes, but keeping them steady on Taeyong, “But there are quotes about giving people second chances too.”

“Do you know how the rest of the quote goes?” Taeyong then asked him, and Kyungsoo pursed his lips and shook his head. “People know themselves much better than you do. That’s why it’s important to stop expecting them to be something other than who they are.”

“Well, he was homophobic before, and he’s not now, so that obviously doesn’t apply,” Kyungsoo said, knowing he just got too defensive and seeing the red flags raise in Taeyong’s mind by the way his eyes widened. “Sorry,” Kyungsoo then said. “I just really believe him. And I know that no one else can understand that because everyone just hates him, but I knew him better than everyone else did, and I think it’s worth giving him a second chance.”

Taeyong just looked at him, and Kyungsoo wished he would say something already. Even if it was something judge-y like it tended to be in these kinds of situations.

“This person disrespected you, hurt you, emotionally manipulated you, and you want to be his friend again,” Taeyong stated as if this needed to be recapped. “You willingly want to bring this person back into your life for what reason? What are you hoping comes out of being friends again?”

“Like I said,” Kyungsoo decided to recap as well, “We were good friends before things started going really bad. Now, without the bad stuff being a part of it all, we can just be good friends again.”

“Jongin and Jongdae aren’t enough?” Taeyong then asked. “Your frat brothers aren’t enough? Chanyeol, Sehun, Jisoo, Rosé, Jennie? Not enough? You have genuinely good people around you. Why do you need this one?”

“Because if it wasn’t for circumstances, we would still be friends,” Kyungsoo said, not sure how to make him understand. “I promise that once you get to know him, you’ll see. And you might even become friends with him too.”

“I have no interest in becoming friends with someone who was an emotional abuser,” Taeyong stated, and it felt like a slap to Kyungsoo.

“He’s not an emotional abuser,” Kyungsoo stated, trying to not get worked up about this.

“He was, and he may not be now, but he once was, which means he’s capable of being one again,” Taeyong said, putting his chopsticks down and crossing his arms. “Look, you’re going to do what you want to do. It’s obviously important to you to go down this road again with him, for whatever reason. But don’t try and convince me to be okay with it. This guy was an emotionally abusive asshole to you, and as your boyfriend, I have every right to be wary of his intentions.”

“His intentions?” Kyungsoo almost squeaked out. “He just wants us to be friends again.”

“That’s fine if that’s what you believe,” Taeyong stated, not relenting, “But that’s not what I choose to believe.”

“Then what do you think his intentions are?” Kyungsoo asked him, feeling very annoyed by this.

“I have no idea. Like you said, I don’t know him. But I don’t trust him, and you’re not going to change my mind about that.”

“Fine, then don’t trust him,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “You don’t have to trust him. You just have to trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“I do trust you,” Taeyong said, and Kyungsoo didn’t know why it surprised him to hear that. “But it doesn’t stop me from being worried that he’ll hurt you again.”

“I’ve learned a lot since then,” Kyungsoo tried to assure him.

“You have,” Taeyong said with a nod, “Because of him.”

That felt like a punch to the gut, whether it was supposed to be or not, and Kyungsoo’s bottom lip pushed up a bit as he looked off to the side a bit. Lunch with Yixing had felt perfectly fine, and everything about it felt right. There had been nothing to make him think that pursuing a friendship would be a bad idea, and he had gotten pretty good at listening to his instincts.

Kyungsoo scratched his neck and let out a soft breath, picking his chopsticks up even though he had no intentions of eating anything.

“If I end up being wrong, then I’ll own it,” Kyungsoo said, thinking that was diplomatic enough as he looked around the table for something light enough to eat.

“If you end up being wrong,” Taeyong replied, “I’ll be here for you.”

Kyungsoo supposed he should thank him for that sentiment, but instead he picked up some edamame to eat.

Having officially killed the mood for their dinner, they ate in silence for a bit before Taeyong decided to speak up again.

“Should we discuss our couple costumes for this Halloween thing?”

Kyungsoo smiled, grateful for the light-hearted topic change, and he looked at him to let him know how he felt, then said, “Any ideas?”

“Is it one of those where the girls are all going to be in skimpy Halloween costumes and the guys are going to put on a Halloween T-shirt that says, ‘This Is My Halloween Costume’?”

“Jongin showed me pictures from previous years and people really go all out. There are prizes for creativity, which makes sense when you think about the fact that Jennie is a fashion major and fashionista.”

“Noted,” Taeyong said, looking impressed.

“A lot of girls will show up in skimpy outfits,” Kyungsoo confirmed, “But if you don’t make an effort, you don’t go through the door, which means cop-out T-shirts will not be allowed.”

“So then what should we go as?” Taeyong said, looking more interested in this now.

“Well, I figured I’d be Totoro,” Kyungsoo joked.

“Stop,” Taeyong said, making a funny face. “Though I like the idea of a costume that makes you dye your hair again.”

“Any auburn-haired anime characters come to mind?”

Taeyong thought for a moment then said, “No, not really. A lot of red, but not auburn specifically. Although, you’d make a good Sōma from _Food Wars_ , but I don’t think anyone would get the costume.”

“ _Food Wars_?” Kyungsoo asked, intrigued.

“It’s an anime about a competitive culinary institute. The lead character, Sōma, has red hair.”

“I want to do this,” Kyungsoo said, thinking about how he had just been talking to Yixing about his random culinary dreams. “Does he dress like a chef? People can think he’s a chef, but we’ll know specifically who it is.”

Taeyong chuckled and pulled it up on his phone so Kyungsoo could see who it was, and Kyungsoo thought he could definitely pull that off.

“Who would you be?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I have no idea,” Taeyong said with a chuckle. “It’s not the type of show to have a couple costume really.”

“Lame,” Kyungsoo said, wrinkling his nose. “Then let’s go with something else.”

“I like the idea though,” Taeyong said with a little whine. “Maybe I can just be your sous chef. Not any particular character. Just your sous chef that you’re having a thing with on the side.”

“I like this version of the anime better already,” Kyungsoo joked, and Taeyong laughed at him.

“The best part is that these costumes won’t be hard to find or pull off,” Taeyong pointed out.

“And they’ll be comfortable,” Kyungsoo added, and Taeyong told him he had a good point.

“I’ve never been to a grown-up Halloween party,” Taeyong mentioned, “So I’m looking forward to it. I’m thinking it’ll be like the ones on the TV shows and in movies. And inevitably there’s going to be someone that’s too drunk, someone caught cheating, and a huge fight that breaks out.”

“Rosé’s going to be too drunk,” Kyungsoo played along, and he wanted to say Chanyeol for the caught cheating one, but that was supposed to be a secret, so instead he said, “And Rosé will also be caught cheating on Shay, and then Rosé will be in a huge fight that breaks out.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Taeyong said, cracking up, and Kyungsoo cracked up with him.

Kyungsoo was happy that their dinner ended on a good and positive note. He definitely didn’t want there to be a weird tension between them because of the Yixing thing, and he knew he would have to tread carefully whenever talking to Taeyong about it. It did make him feel good though that Taeyong cared about him enough to be a little worried, but Kyungsoo was going to show him why he had nothing to worry about at all.

This also meant having to convince Jongin and Jongdae of the same thing and, given how his conversation with Taeyong had gone at dinner, he didn’t think it was going to go well the next day either with his best friends.

***

Both Kyungsoo and Jongin had coordinated to meet at Wendy’s parents’ house where Jongdae was, that way they could hang out and visit with Hannah as well. Kyungsoo couldn’t get over how much she had grown in the almost two months she had been on the planet, and he couldn’t get over her adorable smile and little babbling noises that she kept making.

“There’s no way Jongdae made you,” Kyungsoo said as he played with her little hand. “You’re too cute.”

“Rude,” Jongdae said, sitting on the floor with the rest of them as Hannah lay on her very colorful play mat that had little animals and rings dangling from it.

“I love how she just keeps moving her arms and legs,” Kyungsoo pointed out, watching as she seemed to be trying to break out of something with all that movement.

“Yeah, one day, out of nowhere, she got really active,” Jongdae said with a big smile. “It was so cool. I was feeding her, and she suddenly kicked me out of nowhere. I was so proud.”

“This gives me flashbacks to when Rain was born,” Jongin said, looking at Hannah with fondness.

“Weird, I remember when Rain was born too,” Jongdae said. “That seemed like yesterday.”

“Time is weird,” Kyungsoo agreed, which is the segue he decided to take to give them his news. “It’s so weird that after a long time, people change for the better, so you decide to give them a second chance at a friendship.” He gave them a closed-lip smile, knowing what was coming.

“We’re really doing this?” Jongdae said, not looking enthused by it.

“Why?” Jongin asked, but unlike Taeyong, Jongin’s “why” was whiny.

“Because I believe him,” Kyungsoo tried to explain. “I really think he is a different person now, and I want to get to know this new version of him.”

“I get that you’re intrigued,” Jongin said, appearing to try keeping himself patient. “But…” and then he stopped himself, putting his hand up momentarily before putting it down and shaking his head. “You know what? Do what you want.”

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what to make of that and he looked at Jongdae who shrugged and smiled back down at Hannah.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said, confused by these new reactions. “I will.”

“Okay,” Jongin said, and he reached over to catch one of Hannah’s little feet mid-air and play with it as he told her that he had caught her foot.

Kyungsoo stared at both of them, acting as if they really weren’t going to say anything else, and then realized that they really weren’t going to when they started talking about “tummy time.”

“Let me flip her around,” Jongdae said, leaning forward to pick her up and gently put her on her tummy, which caused Hannah to let out higher-pitched coos, and then her face went straight down into the mat, which made Jongin laugh. “She hasn’t quite mastered it yet,” Jongdae said, trying to adjust her arms toward the front to help her out and then placing a small blanket across her chest to help her lift up.

“Rain hated tummy time,” Jongin said, and Kyungsoo looked between them as they went into a full conversation about this.

It dawned on Kyungsoo that they were taking the “telling him not to will only make it worse” approach, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He had prepared himself for all the things they were going to say, and not having any of it said to him felt oddly disappointing, like they didn’t really care. But he wanted them to care because he wanted them to give Yixing another chance too.

Which was why, when he got back to his parents’ house and back to his own room, he called Chanyeol. He needed to talk about this to someone, and for some reason, Chanyeol seemed like someone that might understand.

“Hey, are you busy?” Kyungsoo asked when Chanyeol picked up his call.

“No, just lying in bed and contemplating dying after a big workout this morning. I hate getting back into shape.”

Kyungsoo chuckled and laid down in his own bed, joining him in spirit, and then he started spilling everything that was on his mind. He told him about meeting up with Yixing for his birthday, and taking him to lunch, and deciding to be friends again, and Taeyong’s reaction, and Jongin and Jongdae’s reaction and he completed his thoughts with, “I just feel like my friends think I’m this problem child that they have to constantly watch over because they think all my decisions are bad or something.”

“I know _exactly_ what you mean,” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo felt relief that someone understood him. “I feel that way with my friends too. Like I’m their problem child when all I’m trying to do is figure things out. They always act like they know better about everything.”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo agreed emphatically. “And it’s like, come on, Dae got himself into the worst situation possible and Jongin dating Jennie seemed like a disaster at first, so how am I the one that they think is like this? They’re like this too.”

“Literally,” Chanyeol said, his tone letting Kyungsoo know that he was hyped up as well. “Baek is so all over the place and won’t even commit to anyone, and Jisoo won’t admit how much it screwed her up that her boyfriend dumped her after graduation, but I’m the one that they’re always judging.”

“Like I get their concern, but why can’t they trust me too?” Kyungsoo wondered out loud.

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Chanyeol said. “I keep wishing I was on their level when it came to things because they keep treating me like I’m not.”

“And see,” Kyungsoo said, understanding that point, “I always think I am until things like this happen. Do they really think I can’t handle revisiting a friendship with someone that my gut instinct tells me deserves another chance?”

“You just have to show them,” Chanyeol told him, “Show them that you were right.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said with resolve. “That’s what I’m going to do. They don’t know Yixing the way I do. I know him, and the guy that he is now just isn’t the same guy he was before. How could he be when the love of his life died and his parents disowned him? His whole reality has changed, and that forced him to change.”

“It makes sense,” Chanyeol said, sounding thoughtful. “They say people can’t change, but I think that only applies to certain parts of people. It’s that whole nature versus nurture debate, right? There are things that genetically make us who we are, and things that make us who we are based on our environment and how we’re raised. Maybe the genetic stuff can’t really change, but the environmental stuff can.”

“Right,” Kyungsoo said, thinking that made so much sense and was the obvious explanation. “He had no choice but to be closeted before because of his parents, and expectations were set for him that made him act out in not-great ways, but his environmental factors have completely changed, which means all of those parts of him can change.”

This idea made Kyungsoo feel so much better about everything and made him feel that he was even more right in giving Yixing a second chance. Then he remembered something Yixing had said to him during the birthday lunch.

“You know, he actually did say during our conversation that he’s his parents’ offspring,” Kyungsoo then shared. “I think he’s well aware that there are parts of him that aren’t great and that he may not be able to change, but I think being conscious of that will help too.”

“He sounds like he’s really making an effort,” Chanyeol seemed to agree. “I think it’s good that you’re giving him a second chance. Sometimes it’s not easy to realize the truth about yourself until after a lot of things have happened. Like…” Chanyeol paused, and Kyungsoo waited for him to finish the sentiment, already agreeing with what he had said. “…it’s just good,” he finally said after a long moment, and Kyungsoo smiled.

“Yeah, I think it is too,” Kyungsoo said, smiling even brighter now. “I’m honestly excited to see where this goes. It’ll be like things should have been, only without the relationship part.”

“Do you think,” Chanyeol said, sounding as if he was treading lightly, “if it all goes well, that you’d date him again? Like… give him another chance in that respect?”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said, not having thought too deeply about it. It had taken him long enough to not be freaked out by the idea of him even being back in the same city as him. “Besides it doesn’t matter. I have Taeyong.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Chanyeol said, “You’ll have to keep me updated on how the renewed friendship is going then. Are you going to invite him to the Halloween party?”

Kyungsoo hadn’t even thought of that. Yixing would probably love going. “I wasn’t thinking of it,” Kyungsoo told him. “I was just going to bring Taeyong, but he got his own invite, so I guess we technically both have a plus one.”

“You should bring him then,” Chanyeol said. “Jennie gave Nayeon her own invitation too, so she’s using it to bring her best friend Jeongyeon. I’m supposed to use one of my plus ones to get either of her other friends in, so I’m going to give it to Momo since she’s nicer to me than Jihyo is.”

“I can tell Taeyong to use his for Jihyo if you want,” Kyungsoo offered. “He doesn’t have anyone else he’d bring.”

“Could you?” Chanyeol said, sounding hopeful. “That would be great. Nayeon will be so excited.”

“Yeah, let me text him real quick and confirm,” Kyungsoo said, putting Chanyeol on speaker so he could talk to him and text Taeyong at the same time. “How do you spell her full name?”

“J-i-h-y-o and her last name is Park. Jihyo Park. No relation.”

Kyungsoo chuckled at that and texted it to Taeyong, who said he was cool with it and would let Jennie know since he had already RSVPd.

“Okay, she’s all set,” Kyungsoo let Chanyeol know.

“You’re the best,” Chanyeol said, sounding excited. “Thank you so so much. I owe you one.”

“No worries. It’s nothing,” Kyungsoo said chuckling at his excitement. “I’m sure you could’ve hit up Jennie anyway and just asked her for an invite for her if it got that serious.”

“Yeah… I…,” Chanyeol hesitated then said, “I don’t like asking her for too many favors. She gets bombarded, you know?”

“Yeah, totally get that,” Kyungsoo said, knowing that Jongin complained about the same thing so many times before.

“Honestly, Jennie was so nice about the people she invited,” Chanyeol then said. “She gave Lucas and Kris both their own invites.”

Kyungsoo smiled wide at this and said, “She met them for two seconds and deemed them worthy of her parties. Then again, Kris is really cool and fits in well with her scene, and Lucas is good entertainment, so it totally works.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol agreed, and then seemed to have a thought as he asked, “Is Jongdae bringing Wendy, or did she give them separate invites too?”

“Separate,” Kyungsoo confirmed. “And Seulgi and Joy got their own, so they have four additional people they can bring in total technically. If Nayeon has any other sorority sisters that need to get in, we got them covered.”

Chanyeol chuckled at that then said, “Actually, can you hold one of those spots open for me too? I have one other person that I kind of want to invite, but I’m not sure if he’ll be up for it. I have to talk to him about it.”

“Yeah, I’ll let Dae know,” Kyungsoo told him. “Who is it?”

“One of our team trainers,” Chanyeol said. “He’s really cool and has really helped me through a lot. It’s his last year with us so I think it’d be cool to invite him as a thank you for everything.”

“That’s really nice of you,” Kyungsoo said, wanting to coo and feeling soft about this for some reason. “Did you invite any of your actual team members?”

“Oh, Jennie invited them all. They’re all going,” Chanyeol let him know.

“Of course, she did,” Kyungsoo said amused. “Did she invite her school’s basketball team to be fair?” he joked.

“I don’t think her school has a basketball team,” Chanyeol said, letting out a laugh. “I think the only sports they have are their yoga classes.”

“I expect no less of a school that Jennie attends,” Kyungsoo snickered.

“Do you know what your costume is going to be yet for the party?” Chanyeol then asked him.

“I’m going to be an anime chef with auburn hair,” Kyungsoo said, excited to share that with him, and Chanyeol’s reaction of “ooooh cool” made Kyungsoo even more excited. “And Taeyong is going to be my sous chef that I’m having a thing with.”

Chanyeol laughed at that and then said, “Yeah, Nayeon wants us to do a couples costume, and I told her that I’d be good with whatever she decided. She keeps changing her mind. She wanted us to be Prince Harry and Megan Markle, but she’s scared other couples might have the same idea.”

“Do it,” Kyungsoo said, instantly envisioning Chanyeol in one of those regal military uniforms that the British prince wore for special events. “It doesn’t matter if other people do it, you’ll do it better. And you guys have a similar height difference. You have to do it. Dye your hair that strawberry blond color and curl it.”

“I’m going to look ridiculous,” Chanyeol said, snickering about it.

“You’re going to look great,” Kyungsoo assured him. He wished the party was happening this week so he could see it.

“I’ll tell her that’s my choice then,” Chanyeol conceded, and Kyungsoo was glad he couldn’t see the silly satisfied smile that was now on his face. “I’m really bummed this is happening while I’m in training. Our season doesn’t technically start until a week after, but I still can’t get as crazy as I’d want to.”

“How dare basketball season interfere with your fun,” Kyungsoo played along with an indignant tone. “I am looking forward to your season though,” he then admitted. “I hate football so much. Make basketball come back.”

“Please,” Chanyeol said with a snort, “at our school, no one even cares that our season started until football’s over. You’ll be the only one at our games until January.”

“I’m perfectly fine with that,” Kyungsoo said with a grin. “I miss watching you play.” He maybe shouldn’t have admitted that part, but whatever.

“I miss playing,” Chanyeol told him. “It’s been great getting back on the court and practicing.

Kyungsoo listened to him, feeling relaxed and happy as he listened to Chanyeol talk in excitement about his practice, the improvements he’d been making, and how he sank shots from some weird angle that was really sick, even though he hadn’t meant to do it.

By the time their call had to end, Kyungsoo was in the best mood and feeling great about all of his life choices that day. So much so that after dinner, when he was in the family room with his parents, pretending to watch TV with them as he looked back at YouTube videos of the USC basketball team, scrolling through them for parts with Chanyeol being highlighted, he still had the biggest, and stupidest, smile on his face.

And his parents noticed, of course.

“What has you so happy?” his mother asked, flipping through the channels once her favorite K-drama had ended.

“Just watching some funny videos,” Kyungsoo said, not bothering to wipe the smile off his face.

His mother made a small “hm” noise but looked amused as she focused back on the TV. Kyungsoo watched a cool highlights reel on ESPN that showed Chanyeol sinking a three-pointer, and Kyungsoo rewound it and watched it five times before looking up at the television to see that his mom had it on some sitcom.

He started to look back down at his phone but stopped and looked back up at the TV to make sure he saw what he thought he had seen.

_“I love how you always know exactly what to say when I most need it,” the female lead said to the bartender._

_“I love how you always have a crisis when I most need the tips,” the bartender said, and a laugh track played over it as the female lead raised her bottle of beer in “cheers.”_

“Oh my God,” Kyungsoo said, staring as the scene cut to some indoor office scene.

“What?” his mother said, and his father looked over as well.

“Fucking Junmyeon got that bartender part,” Kyungsoo said, not surprised, but still not believing it. He really did look more like a bartender than Kyungsoo ever would, and Kyungsoo didn’t want to admit it, but holy hell did the camera love that man.

“Oh, you know him?” his father asked.

“We always get sent out on the same auditions,” Kyungsoo explained. “I auditioned for that part.”

“Oh,” his mother said, “Well it’s not surprising he got it over you. He’s a very handsome bartender.”

“No,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head at her, “You are not allowed to find him handsome nor think he deserved any part over me. He’s literally my competition.”

“But you look nothing alike,” his father pointed out confused.

“White casting people don’t know that,” Kyungsoo explained. “They just see Asian.”

“Well they know something,” his mother insisted. “I would order drinks from that man all the time. If I saw you behind a bar, I’d worry about their liquor license.”

His father laughed, and Kyungsoo just looked at his mother and said, “Thanks, mom,” with a deadpan expression.

“You might need to introduce your friend to your mother,” his father then said, “Seems he has a new fan.”

“This isn’t happening,” Kyungsoo said, looking mortified. “He’s not my friend, and he’s not that good looking in person.”

“Oh, stop being jealous,” his mother said, as she tuned back into the television show, probably in hopes of seeing Junmyeon again.

Part of Kyungsoo wanted to go to his room and get away from this situation altogether, but the other part of him wanted to see if he popped up again on the show. He did briefly, more as a background character during a bar scene between two of the lead characters. When the show was over, his mother looked closely at the credits.

“Oh, his name is Suho Kim,” she said, excited. “What a great name.”

Kyungsoo looked at her in disbelief then gave his mother a very judgmental look when she favorited the show on the DVR.

He wanted to text Jongin and Jongdae about this because he felt the need to yell about it to someone, but then he remembered that they were being weird with him right now, so instead he texted Baekhyun, who may have been the only other person he had really mentioned Junmyeon to.

Now his thoughts had shifted back to his career and the realization that he hadn’t had any new auditions nor had any coming up. He said good night to his parents and went up to his room, not to sleep, but to look through the trades and fire off an email to Eric asking for any updates and recommending some projects he could look into based on what he had found.

He supposed that healthy competition was a real thing, and he was determined to beat out Junmyeon for the next role they were both up for at the next audition.


	15. Chapter 15

After his conversation with Jisoo about his complicated cheating situation, Chanyeol had every intention of breaking up with Nayeon. But the right moment never presented itself and whenever they were together, he didn’t know how to bring it up or go about it. He also realized that he didn’t want to.

He had spent an entire class thinking about how much she did for him and how helpful she had been to him in learning so much about himself. After all that, he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by breaking up with her. So instead he had vowed to be a better boyfriend and just dump Sana instead.

Except that he found he couldn’t quite bring it up to her either. He had told her to come over so they could talk, and that must have tipped her off enough that as soon as she walked into his place, she never gave him a chance to actually talk. And then being with her reminded him that she really did always make him feel better and also took really good care of him.

He knew this was selfish of him, but he didn’t know how to stop it, and he couldn’t figure out who to talk to for advice. Baekhyun and Jisoo had made their point to end it very clear, but he needed someone who understood that it wasn’t that easy and gave him more practical advice on steps he could take to fix it. And then he realized that there was someone he hadn’t talked to about it yet who could maybe give him more help.

So after team practice had finished, Chanyeol asked Minseok if he was busy or had time to talk.

“Sure,” Minseok said, tapping something into his phone and then looking at him. “I was going to try and jump into the Good Karma line if you want to join me.”

“Um…okay, we can talk on the way,” Chanyeol said, toweling off the back of his neck, which was dripping with sweat. “It’s not a conversation I really want to have with other people around.”

“Gotcha,” Minseok nodded. “We’ll walk slow.”

Chanyeol thanked him then showered and changed into sweats and a T-shirt. He met Minseok outside and they headed slowly across campus the entire campus to get to the other side where the University Church was, which is where the vegan pop-up café existed only three days a week.

“What’s going on?” Minseok asked him as they strolled, and Chanyeol barely knew where to start.

“Well, a couple of things,” Chanyeol said, realizing he had to fill him in his realization. “First, I should probably tell you that I’ve realized that I am bi.”

Minseok looked surprised to hear this and then a proud smile appeared on his face.

“Good,” Minseok said. “I know it’s a hard step to take, but it’s important to accept yourself for who you are.”

“Right,” Chanyeol said, thinking that sounded true. “So, the second thing is that I technically need to break up with my girlfriend, but I don’t want to, and I need help in figuring out how to. Or something like that.”

Minseok looked confused by this, and Chanyeol didn’t blame him. He was confused too.

“Explain,” Minseok said after Chanyeol hadn’t clarified.

“I like my girlfriend a lot,” Chanyeol began, “And she’s taught me a lot and helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. I feel like it’s important for me to have a girlfriend like her, but I’ve been cheating on her with her sorority sister, so my friends told me I have to break up with her before I hurt her.” Minseok’s expression seemed to express some sort of mix of horror and disbelief, which made Chanyeol know he had to add more on quickly before he got another lecture. “I know it’s wrong, and I know I should stop seeing the other girl, but my girlfriend is going to be studying abroad next semester, and I figured that I could use that time to see if the other girl works better as a girlfriend…” Chanyeol stopped because Minseok had stopped walking and was giving him a very odd look.

Maybe it wasn’t an odd one. Maybe it was a very obvious look of judgement.

“How does your mind work?” Minseok asked him.

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “It doesn’t. That’s why I need your help.”

“Break up with your girlfriend,” Minseok said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was.

“But how?” Chanyeol whined. “I feel bad, and the right time never seems to come up, and I think I really need her.”

Minseok now looked at him with patience, as if he had to get over the initial information to settle back into his normal state before he said, “These are all excuses. First of all, she’s your girlfriend, not your mother, so this idea that you need her because she teaches you things and helps you grow is bullshit. You have to let go of that. Also, relationships are give-and-take. Are you doing those things for her too?”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened, and he realized that he wasn’t sure he was doing anything for her.

“Second of all, the right time already came up,” Minseok continued. “It was when you made the decision to cheat on her.” Minseok placed his hands on his hips and let out a small breath then said, “Look, cheating is a terrible thing, but it happens. I’m not trying to normalize it or excuse it. It deserves neither. But human beings are complicated, relationships are complicated, and that shit happens. But you have to understand that it never ends well. Someone’s going to get hurt, including you.”

Chanyeol nodded, but nothing about it seemed to be hurtful right now for him, which is what made it even more confusing.

“Have you ever broken up with someone?” Chanyeol asked him. “How do I do it? It should be in person, right? I’ve read breaking up over text is bad.”

“Yes, do it in person,” Minseok confirmed for him, “You owe it to her to do it in person. Don’t be a coward about it. And just be honest. Don’t start with pleasantries, just get straight to the point. Say that you’ve been thinking about things and that you feel the relationship needs to end. That’s it. She’ll be upset, but hold your ground, explain why, and leave it at that.”

“Okay, I think I can do this,” Chanyeol said with a nod.

“You can do this,” Minseok assured him.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping me with these things,” Chanyeol then told him. “Which reminds me that I wanted to invite you to something. Like as a thank you, but I’m not sure you’d go.”

“What is it?” Minseok said, his pointed eyebrows raising.

“Well, you know the Jennie Kim Halloween party that everyone keeps talking about? I wanted to invite you too. I can get you on the list.”

Minseok gave a small amused smile at this and said, “I don’t say no to a good party invite.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, happy that he wanted to go. “But you have to promise not to snitch to Coach about anything that might happen.”

“I won’t snitch on the other guys, but I’ll definitely snitch on you,” Minseok teased, and Chanyeol made an offended noise and told him he was now uninvited.

Chanyeol left Minseok to head home in an attempt to pull himself together and find the courage to text Nayeon that he needed to talk to her. He was so nervous that he didn’t think he could manage going to class in the afternoon, but he figured that it might give him a distraction and help him figure out what to say to her if she asked why he was breaking up with her.

The entire time he was in class though, he just felt more nervous, and his stomach kept flipping to the point where he had to put his hand on it to help calm it down.

Nayeon had texted him back saying that she could meet him at his place after her class, and Chanyeol rushed home, debating if he should hide instead at Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s and forget the whole thing. Why was he even doing this? He liked Nayeon. Things were going fine, but part of him knew that it wasn’t going as fine as he thought. It was tiring having to make excuses to Nayeon for why she couldn’t come over or lie to her about why he hadn’t picked up a call when she knew he’d normally be available.

He hit up his liquor stash to take a shot of soju to calm his nerves, and when his nerves hadn’t quite calmed enough, he took another, and by the time she arrived, he had taken a third one and put the bottle away even though it barely had anything left in it. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath, opening the door, and resisting the urge to smile since he had to get to the point.

She came in and looked at him oddly when he hadn’t greeted her with a kiss like he normally did, and he passed his hand through his hair again as he closed the door and looked at her.

“You okay?” she asked him, looking a bit concerned, and that wasn’t good because he was going to back out of this pretty quick.

So before he chickened out again, he said, “I’ve been thinking about things, and I think we need to break up.”

It wasn’t exactly the delivery he had planned, but he had said it and there was no going back now. His heart raced in a way that made him feel even more nervous.

Nayeon looked at him first with disbelief, and then her eyes narrowed, and she said, “I’m sorry?”

“I just think,” he began, his hand permanently stuck to his hair as he gripped onto it for life, “I mean, I just think… we should break up.”

He shouldn’t have done this. They were fine together. He couldn’t even give her a real reason for this, which is why he cringed when she answered.

“Why?” The look Nayeon gave him was more challenging than upset, and Chanyeol thought that maybe she didn’t believe him.

He didn’t know why. He should just tell her that he was joking.

“Why do you think we should break up?” she asked him, still being patient and rather calm.

Chanyeol realized that there would only be two answers that made any sense. Either he confessed and told her that he’d been cheating on her and that it wasn’t fair to her for them to be together, or he told her that he was interested in someone else and therefore didn’t want to be with her. Both of those things sounded horrendous, so he didn’t say them. He didn’t say anything at all.

“Why?” And this time, her voice was more forceful, demanding an answer.

Chanyeol flinched again and, to save himself, decided to tell half-truths, “It’s just that I’m getting busier with the season, and you know I haven’t had time to be with you like usual…”

“Oh my God,” Nayeon said, looking like she wanted to scream. She looked up and turned around to pace for a quick moment before turning back around to look at him. “Don’t lie to me.”

Shit. Okay, he needed another strategy. What did Minseok say again? Why couldn’t he remember what Minseok had told him to do if this happened? He was going to freak out. There was no way around it.

“Then again,” Nayeon said when Chanyeol didn’t say anything. “What do I expect? Of course, you would lie to me.”

“I’m not…”

“Stop,” Nayeon said, giving him a very dangerous look. “And no, you don’t get to break up with me.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked, now the one confused. Could she do that? Minseok hadn’t mentioned this happening.

“You’re an asshole for even thinking that you get to be the one that breaks up with me when you’ve been cheating on me with Sana since we pretty much got together,” Nayeon stated.

Chanyeol’s blood drained from his face, and everywhere else, based on how frigid he suddenly felt.

“Yeah, I knew,” Nayeon told him, sensing from his expression that he was too stunned to ask the obvious question on his horrified face.

“What?” Chanyeol asked, feeling so unbalanced that he was sure he was going to drop to the ground at any moment. “How?”

“She told my friends,” Nayeon told him, her face showing disgust. “On purpose. So that they would tell me. So that I would break up with you. She wanted you for herself and thought she could break us up.”

Chanyeol’s stomach sunk even more, and he needed to sit down, or drop down, or just disappear. But he stood there, trying to process that Nayeon had known this entire time about Sana and hadn’t confronted him about it. And even worse, Sana knew that Nayeon knew, which meant all the times that Chanyeol had freaked out and told her to be careful or not say anything, she was just playing along.

He put his hand on his stomach, knowing he was about to be sick.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked her, not accusing, just needing to know and understand.

“Why didn’t you?” Nayeon asked him back. “Why was it my responsibility to tell my boyfriend what he should have told me? I kept waiting for you to be honest with me, but I guess cheaters, by their very nature, just aren’t honest people.”

This was not happening. How was this happening? This was so much worse than he thought, and the hurt look on her face confirmed what everyone had told him. He had to end it because people were going to be hurt, but people had already been hurt, and now he felt the hurt too. And none of it made sense to him. He had just been trying to figure things out. How had it turned into this?

“Why do you want to break up with me?” Nayeon then asked him again. “Why now? Is it because you want to be with her instead?”

“No,” Chanyeol said, so fast that there was no way she couldn’t know it was the truth. “I don’t want… no, that’s not it. I’m just so… confused.”

And he also was maybe on the verge of a nervous breakdown based upon how many breaths he was suddenly taking to stay calm. He definitely wanted to cry, but he’d have to wait.

“Confused about what?” Nayeon asked, not relenting.

“Everything,” he said, crossing his arms to hold himself.

“How are you the one confused when I’m the one that was cheated on?” she asked him. “If you wanted her, then you should have broken up with me then.”

He could hear her voice quivering a bit, and he felt even more awful. He shook his head and told her, “I didn’t want her. I didn’t know what I wanted. This was all so new to me, and I was confused about a lot of things.”

“You were literally a virgin,” Nayeon reminded him. “What was confusing? No longer being one? Realizing what you were missing out on and figuring out how to get it from other girls too?”

Now she was the one running her fingers through her hair, looking frustrated.

“No,” Chanyeol said, furrowing his brows. “At first, I mean, it didn’t happen until you were gone for the summer.”

“So it’s my fault?” she asked, her eyes widening and daring him to admit it.

“No,” Chanyeol said, now frustrated that he couldn’t explain himself right. “But when you were gone, I found that I really missed having someone, and she was suddenly there. Like out of nowhere she started talking to me, and it was nice to have someone around when you weren’t.”

“Then you shouldn’t have asked me to be your girlfriend,” Nayeon practically screamed at him. “If you want to mess around, then you stay single. It’s not rocket science.”

“No, but I wanted a girlfriend,” he tried to explain.

“And if it had been Sana that Baekhyun had introduced you to then it would have been her,” Nayeon pointed out. “You didn’t even care that it was me. I was just the first girl that came along. Do you even like me? Are you even actually attracted to me?”

“Yes, of course, I like you,” Chanyeol said, defending himself as best as he could from this verbal attack. “I don’t know what I’m doing. You know that. Maybe if he had introduced me to someone else, I would’ve been with them instead, but I liked being with you. I don’t want Sana over you.”

“Then why are you still fucking her?” Nayeon yelled.

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, his hand back in his hair as he started to freak out again. If it hadn’t been for the soju, he knew he would have been more of a mess by now.

“Stop lying,” she scolded him. “You do know. There has to be a reason. Why? It can’t be because I’m gone because I’ve been here this semester. So why?”

“Because you’re leaving next semester,” he finally blurted out. “And I needed someone to be there while you were gone.”

“Oh. My. God,” she said, and she looked around and then grabbed his couch pillow and hurled it at him. He moved just in time for it to hit the door instead. “You fucking asshole! You selfish fucking asshole!”

“I know,” he said, now worried she was going to throw something else at him. “I know. I told you. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You know damn well what you’re doing,” she said, still looking around for something else to throw at him. And then she paced and took several breaths to try and pull herself together. Chanyeol copied her, needing to do the same.

“No,” Chanyeol said, once he had enough oxygen flowing again. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” He stared off at nothing, toward one of his walls, realizing that this was all so bad that he may as well be completely honest with her and finish burning it all to the ground. “I’m not lying when I say I was confused. And I’m not lying when I said that I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Spare me,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him in a way that let him know she was done with his words.

“No, I’m being honest,” he said, trying to make her understand. “Things are more complicated than you think.”

Nayeon let out a big sigh and crossed her arms as she looked at him and asked, “How so?”

“It’s not just Sana,” he said, not even scared now to tell her the rest. “There’s someone else too.” He anticipated the disbelieving look on her face, and he continued before she could question him. “Someone you don’t know,” he lied because he couldn’t tell her who it was, and he didn’t want her to ask.

“Oh my God,” she said, putting her hand on her stomach and looking like she was now the one that was going to be sick. “How many people have you been cheating on me with?”

“Just two,” he said, knowing that the “just” didn’t make it any better.

“Is she also in my sorority?” she asked, looking ready to cry and possibly hit him.

“No,” he said, “It’s no one you know. And…” He realized he didn’t know how to say that it was a guy. He thought he’d be able to say it, but it felt weird, like it didn’t make sense. But one thing did make sense, and he presented it using that angle instead. “Nayeon,” he said, hoping that he could trust her, even if she couldn’t trust him. “I didn’t realize this when we first got together. But I’ve been struggling with something, and this semester, I finally realized the truth of what I was struggling with.”

She looked at him confused, and he took another deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I’m…” he looked at her and blinked, willing the courage to come out of him. “I’m bisexual.” God that sounded weird no matter how many times he said it, and Nayeon looked at him and blinked, then stared at him. “I’m… yeah, so I’ve been hooking up with this guy you don’t know.”

Nayeon said nothing at first, blinking over and over until something seemed to connect for her.

“Oh my God,” she said, yet again. “Everything makes so much sense now.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked. He didn’t know what he expected her reaction to be, but he knew this wasn’t it.

“The way you were so awkward at the beginning,” she said, looking off at nothing like she was watching a replay of events. “And you were so hesitant. And a lot of the moves I put on you didn’t have an effect.”

“Wait,” Chanyeol said, shaking his hand really fast to get her to stop. “I’m not gay. Your moves had an effect. I’m just bi.”

“Yeah, but,” she said, still looking off in thought, “You just weren’t like other guys I’d dated before. Like at all. And then you went to that gay club to celebrate with Kyungsoo, but you didn’t invite me. This makes so much more sense now.”

“What?” Chanyeol squeaked. “No, it’s not like that. I was invited, so I didn’t know if I could invite someone else.”

Nayeon focused back on him and once again asked him, “So now that all the truth is out, why do you want to break up with me?”

Chanyeol realized that it was much easier to give the answer now that he wasn’t hiding anything anymore.

“Because I was cheating on you, and I knew that wasn’t fair to you and probably meant that maybe we weren’t meant to be together,” he stated.

Nayeon bit her lip, looking as if she was holding back emotions and thinking at the same time, and then she let out a soft breath and said, “You’re probably right. The only reason I really wanted you to be my boyfriend was because you’re the star of our basketball team and you’re friends with Jennie Kim.”

That stung more than she had probably intended, and Chanyeol furrowed his brows, not liking that bit of honesty but realizing that it wasn’t that surprising when he thought about it.

“Well now you’re friends with Jennie,” Chanyeol said, still looking a little annoyed. “So you don’t need me anymore.”

“I guess not,” Nayeon said. “Now you can go make Sana your girlfriend. Maybe she’ll work out better for you.”

“I don’t want her to be my girlfriend,” Chanyeol said, wanting her to understand that this all really still was confusing for him.

“I don’t care,” she said, picking up her backpack. “Do what you want. We’re no longer together.”

“Wait,” Chanyeol said, now starting to freak out about everything she now knew. “Please don’t tell anyone about me being bi. I haven’t really told people. No one really knows.”

“I’ll keep your secret,” Nayeon said, standing in front of the door and looking up at him with eyes that still looked very upset. “I’m better at that than you are.”

That stung, but it was true, and then he said, “I’m really sorry.”

“Wow. It took this long for you to finally say it. Even though I’m pretty sure you’re not even apologizing for the right thing.”

Chanyeol deflated completely, realizing he was the worst kind of person, and before he could admit that as well, Nayeon left.

Chanyeol stood alone in his apartment, suddenly aware of the feeling of loneliness as the empty space taunted him. He went to his room and sat at the edge of his bed, giving his legs the break they had been needing since the conversation had started, and then he laid back and stared at the ceiling, trying to process the emotions of hurt, emptiness, and embarrassment that he felt.

She had known. Sana had known. Sana had told her friends.

It explained so much. The way that Nayeon would sound when he made an excuse for not being able to hang out with her, the way that Jeongyeon always judged him and seemed annoyed he was around, the way that Jihyo dismissed him like he wasn’t worth the time to get to know. At least Momo had always been nice to him. It probably also explained the way that Sana had a twinkle in her eye whenever he told her to keep their hook-ups a secret.

They all knew, and he was the idiot who knew nothing, walking into these silent traps every single time he interacted with any of them. The embarrassment outweighed the shame as he felt his face heat up, and he didn’t know how to go about even being in the same vicinity as these people ever again. Not that he probably needed to be, but it would be impossible to avoid them on campus or when visiting Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

Maybe he could transfer to UCLA and move in with Jisoo instead? He could probably make a case for playing on their team. He had the stats to back him up. But then again, their team was solid, and their players had stats that were a bit better.

His friends had warned him, and he hadn’t listened, but here he was, just as hurt as they said he’d be, and Nayeon was hurt and had been hurt for longer than he knew. He hated that they were right, but he hated himself more for not being smart enough to realize any of this sooner. Why hadn’t he just kept things casual with Nayeon? Why had he kept doing things with Sana? Why had he hooked up with Kris? His life had been better when he was still a virgin and only caring about his basketball career. His life had been better when he hadn’t had to realize that he liked boys too. Why couldn’t he have just been born straight and had the simple life that he needed? Baekhyun and Jisoo were better at dealing with complicated things. He needed things to be simple. He had always needed things to be that way.

When he was younger, he would freak out a lot about things that other kids didn’t freak out about. If he lost a toy, or his shoe fell off, or he lost his chance at a swing, he would freak out and his mother always told him that it was okay as she attempted to fix the issue. But it never felt okay to him. And his mother always said he’d grow out of it, but it became clear that she was proven wrong when Sehun hit those same age markers and didn’t have the same issues.

And that’s exactly what his parents called them. Issues. He remembered overhearing conversations where they would refer to it as his issues, saying things like, “Sehunnie doesn’t have these issues,” or “Maybe we should take him to a specialist for these issues.” Chanyeol didn’t want to be the kid with the issues, and he didn’t want to worry his parents, so he tried his best to be like everyone else, to handle things better, and sometimes to be more like Sehun. But inevitably, something would happen that would set him off, and he’d be back to square one.

But when he was in middle school, he had figured out a small solution to his problem. He had always noticed that after a long business trip or a tough day at work, his father would come home and drink a beer, and Chanyeol noticed how he always seemed to be more relaxed after he did. So one day, after a stressful day at school, Chanyeol snuck a beer from the fridge and took it to his room, then took a sip, and almost spit it back out.

He was determined though to see if it worked, so he made himself drink a bit more, not sure of how it worked, but thinking he’d know when it did. When he finally felt calm, he realized that it had worked, and it had helped him deal with so many things in his life. Like this right now. Sure, the situation was still a mess, but he had survived it. He could do better going forward. He could handle whatever came next.

And what did come next was a knock on the door. It startled Chanyeol out of the nap he had fallen into, and he rubbed his eyes and got up to get the door, not even considering who it could be.

“Are you okay?” Baekhyun asked him, and Chanyeol blinked a couple of times to register that Baekhyun was there asking him this and that he knew why to ask.

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol let him in.

“Momo told me everything,” Baekhyun said, looking him over.

Chanyeol felt his nerves start to rattle again, and he closed the door and sat on his couch.

“Why did she tell you?” Chanyeol asked, and he made a whiny sound. “Why can’t people just keep things to themselves?” He knew why, but he felt like whining about it anyway.

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun said, sitting beside him and rubbing Chanyeol’s knee to calm him down. “Are you alright?”

“No,” Chanyeol told him, his tone a little bitter. “Go ahead and say that you were right.”

“I’m not here to say that,” Baekhyun said, giving a soft sigh as he took his hand away and let it drop on his own lap. “And I would never say that. How are you feeling right now?”

“Like shit,” Chanyeol told him, wishing they weren’t talking about this right now. He wanted to not think about it at all, but then, he did wonder what exactly had been said to him. “What did Momo tell you?”

“That you and Nayeon broke up,” Baekhyun informed him. “She called me and said that Nayeon came home crying, so they asked her what was wrong, and she told them that you guys had broken up.”

Nayeon had been so strong in front of him that it shocked him to hear that she had cried, and Chanyeol’s heart hurt thinking about it.

“Momo said that Nayeon told them about how she confronted you about the cheating, and then she told them that you tried to lie about it, and she realized that she didn’t even care to bother with you anymore.”

Chanyeol let out a terse breath, then explained, “She knew about it. Sana told one of her friends, and one of her friends told her, so this whole time, they all knew.” Chanyeol shook his head, still not believing he had been played for such a fool.

“I know,” Baekhyun said. “It was Momo who told Nayeon. Momo has the unlucky distinction of being good friends with both Nayeon and Sana. This whole thing has left her in a really bad position.”

Chanyeol blinked at Baekhyun, unsure of what to do with this new piece of information, and then he asked, “She told you that too?”

“She had told me before,” Baekhyun said, and Chanyeol slowly realized that this was a confession. “I knew that Nayeon knew.”

“What?” Chanyeol said, a sudden feeling of being betrayed creeping in. “You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it wasn’t my place,” Baekhyun said, but Chanyeol wasn’t having it.

“You’re my best friend,” Chanyeol snapped at him. “It’s your place to tell me things like that!”

“No,” Baekhyun said, holding his ground, “It’s your place to come clean and tell your girlfriend the truth, which is what I told you to do.”

“I can’t believe this,” Chanyeol said, and he stood up, grabbing his hair again and feeling himself start to freak out. “You knew. You fucking knew. Who else knew?” He turned and gave Baekhyun a look, suddenly wondering if he had told Kyungsoo. “Who else knew?” he asked again.

“Everyone knows, Yeol,” Baekhyun said, and he did seem to be sorry to say it. “Everyone’s known.”

His stomach dropped, yet again, and he calmly asked, “Who is everyone?” even as he felt his hands start to shake.

“Most of our friends knew,” Baekhyun said, and when Chanyeol gave him a look that demanded more information, he provided it. “Jisoo, Rosé, Lisa, Kyungsoo, Jongin, Jennie, do you want me to keep going?”

No. This he couldn’t handle. Breaking up with Nayeon and learning the truth had been as much as he could take. But knowing that all his friends had known that he was an idiot for trying to hide something that wasn’t hidden was not something he could handle at all.

He suddenly felt like he couldn’t trust anyone, and as frustrated tears started escaping, he felt himself shake in a way he hadn’t in a long time. He was so angry, and so upset, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

“Yeol,” Baekhyun said, standing up and reaching out to him, but Chanyeol shook his head and took a step back.

“Get out,” Chanyeol managed to say through the dread that had overcome him.

“Shit,” Baekhyun said to himself, and he did seem to realize that he may have screwed up. “Yeol, I want to help you through this.”

“I think you’ve done enough,” Chanyeol said, pointing toward the door, “Get out.”

“I’ll leave,” Baekhyun said, putting a hand up for him to calm down, “But I love you, and I want to help you through this.”

“I don’t need your help,” Chanyeol told him. “I needed your help before when you should have told me that Nayeon knew. That’s when I needed your fucking help. Get the fuck out.”

Baekhyun looked a bit stunned, but he also nodded and left, and Chanyeol slammed the door then fell to the floor and cried. This was worse. This was way worse.

Now he had no girlfriend and, based on the fact that all his friends had known that Nayeon knew and didn’t tell him, he had no friends either. He had nothing. He had no one. And he didn’t know what to do.

He felt hopeless and despondent, and he wished there was someone that could be there for him. Anyone. Yeah, he deserved to lose his girlfriend over this, but he didn’t think he had deserved to lose his friends too. Why did things always happen in the worst way possible for him?

And his phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. So he knew that word was getting around, not just through Nayeon, but now through Baekhyun. So he shut it off altogether and threw it across the room in a sudden bout of frustration, watching as it bounced off his desk chair, to the wall, and then down to the ground face down. He didn’t even care to check if the screen was shattered.

He went to his stash and finished off the bottle of soju, and then opened another. He needed to calm down, and he needed to make himself disappear for the night. He wished he could go home, but if his parents saw him like this, they’d know something was wrong, and he didn’t need them to know about everything too.

And Kyungsoo had known too? He and Kyungsoo talked about everything. Why hadn’t he told him? This was crazy. Why hadn’t anyone thought to tell him? Were they all collectively trying to teach him a lesson? Well lesson fucking taught then. Cheers to them. Chanyeol took a shot for each friend that he was sure he had lost now, and then more for his own misery, and then he lost count.

***

Things were hazy, and his body felt heavy. His neck was stiff and sore, and he felt a cold touch upon his arm, jostling it as if attempting to get his attention. He vaguely heard voices, and if his brain wasn’t so foggy, he thought he’d know who they belonged to since they were familiar.

“Yeol,” the voice that belonged to whoever was bothering his arm said, “Yeol, wake up.”

And then he felt fingers on his forehead, also cool, but a lot gentler as his hair was pushed back and away from his face.

“Yeol,” that voice said, and it was a bit deeper and concerned in a way that Chanyeol would recognize regardless of his condition. He willed his eyes open, to blink enough so that they could clear up and he could verify that it was Kyungsoo kneeling in front of him, pushing his hair back from his face.

“Okay, good,” another voice said, crouching down beside Kyungsoo, “We have consciousness.”

Chanyeol looked over at Minseok, confused to see him there beside Kyungsoo, and then he realized that it was Baekhyun who had been moving his arm when he stopped to rub it in a soothing way instead and said, “Thank God.”

There was more confusion for a moment as Minseok and Kyungsoo tried to lift him to a sitting position, which Chanyeol wished they hadn’t done because his head felt woozy and he had a dizzy spell that made him want to throw up.

“Here’s water,” another person said, and Chanyeol registered that Baekhyun thanked this person and handed him a glass of water. Then he realized it had been Lucas, which made everything even more confusing.

Was he dreaming? No, if he was still sleeping then this was definitely a nightmare instead.

He drank some of the water, then barely indicated that he needed to throw up before Baekhyun and Lucas helped him to his feet. He couldn’t make it to the bathroom to do it, so he threw up in his kitchen sink, which was just lovely.

By the time he had pulled himself together enough to sit upright at his dining table, Jisoo had joined the group, saying something about how much she hated traffic as she came through the door. Then she mentioned that she was so happy he was alive when she came over to look at him.

Chanyeol wished that he could feel mad at them right now, but he had felt so lonely last night that he realized how much he craved and needed this attention he was getting.

“Here,” Minseok said, handing him two ibuprofens. “Drink more water and take these.”

Chanyeol thanked him and took them, feeling his stomach get queasy again, and hoping whatever it was just stayed down.

And then, after a moment, it dawned on him why Minseok was there.

“Shit, practice,” Chanyeol said, looking around for his phone to see what time it was.

“It’s fine,” Minseok told him, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. “You weren’t picking up your calls, so I told coach I’d come over and check up on you. I called him to let him know that you were sick with a fever and unable to get out of bed.”

“We got here around the same time,” Baekhyun said, standing and watching him with his arms crossed. “We were all calling each other because you weren’t picking up anyone’s call, so we decided to come over and check up on you instead.”

“I would’ve been here earlier, but traffic,” Jisoo waved off, leaning against the arm of his couch as she looked at him.

Chanyeol looked over at Kyungsoo, who had pulled up a chair to sit next to him and was looking at him still worried. Lucas was in the kitchen cleaning up his mess, which he really didn’t have to do, but Chanyeol appreciated it so much at the moment.

He didn’t know what to say to these people, so he stayed quiet until Minseok checked his phone and said, “I have to get back to the gym, but it seems like you’re in good hands. I’ll be by to check up on you again later, okay?”

“Okay,” Chanyeol croaked out.

“Keep drinking water,” Minseok said, patting his shoulder before saying goodbye to everyone and leaving.

Chanyeol drank more water then looked at the three friends left around him, watching him, and he still didn’t know what to say, so he said, “I’m fine. If you guys have things to do, you should go.”

“I just got here,” Jisoo said, giving him a “nice try” expression. “We know why you’re upset, and we know how you feel about us right now, but it doesn’t change that we love you and care about you and want to make sure you’re okay.”

“You care about me, but not enough to warn me that I’m walking into a trap,” Chanyeol said, grateful that the throbbing in his head was starting to subside a little.

“If we had told you, what would you have done?” Jisoo asked him.

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol said, not able to think in his current state. “But at least I wouldn’t have felt betrayed by my supposed best friends.”

“I take full responsibility for this,” Baekhyun then said, and Jisoo started to protest, but Baekhyun shook his head at her and put up his hand to indicate he needed her to back off. “I knew. I told other people because I didn’t know what to do, and I’m the one that told them to keep it quiet as well. Maybe I should have let everyone deal with it how they were going to deal with it. And maybe I should have just told you, but I had already told you to break up with her. I’d been trying to help you get out of this mess pretty much from the moment you got into it, and you weren’t listening to me. So I decided to take a step back and let it all play out how it was going to since you were going to do whatever you wanted anyway.”

He wanted to say that he picked the wrong time to step back, but Chanyeol knew this wasn’t Baekhyun’s fault. It was his fault, and he had put Baekhyun in this position just as much as he had put himself in it. So Chanyeol conceded.

“It’s not your fault,” Chanyeol said, softly at first, so he said it again, “It’s not your fault. This is all my fault.”

“What’s done is done,” Jisoo said, “What happened doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all about picking up the pieces and moving forward.”

“I don’t know how to move forward,” Chanyeol admitted. “I’m scared to even go on campus because I’ll end up running into Nayeon or any of her friends.”

“That won’t be any different than before,” Baekhyun pointed out. “They already knew then. The only difference is now you know too. Don’t worry about them. Just worry about yourself.”

“One time,” Lucas said, coming out from the kitchen and putting more water on the table for Chanyeol. “I got into a huge fight with this boy in my school. It was a boarding school in Connecticut. Connecticut’s cold.” Lucas said, looking off to the side, and Baekhyun tapped his shoulder to get him back on track. “I’m really good at lacrosse. But he told the whole school I sucked at it because he hated me, so everyone thought I sucked at it. But then I played and showed everyone I was good at it, and then they stopped saying I sucked, and then they forgot about it and picked on someone else. So don’t worry. They’ll forget and move on to picking on someone else.”

“That’s a good point, Lucas,” Baekhyun said, squeezing his shoulder and giving him a smile, and then he looked at Chanyeol. “Shit happens and you keep going. I’ve watched my mom go through so much stupid shit with the media, and it doesn’t stop her from going out there and continuing to do what she needs to do and what she loves to do. Be like my mom. Just take today to rest up and get yourself back together, then tomorrow go to practice and put your heart and soul into the season like you always do.”

Chanyeol had always admired Baekhyun’s mom for everything she dealt with, so he supposed he could use her for his inspiration. He liked the idea of moving on from this at least.

“Thanks,” he told Lucas. “I’ll keep going.”

Lucas left soon after for class, and Chanyeol felt human enough to head to his room to sleep and recover a bit more. When he woke up, he dragged himself to his shower and felt much better once he had finished and gotten dressed again in some sweats and an oversized T-shirt.

He heard voices coming from the living room area, as well as the sounds of something on TV, and he padded out to find that there were pizza boxes on the table, and Baekhyun, Jisoo, and Kyungsoo sitting on the couch talking while watching TV.

“Oh good, you’re up,” Baekhyun said with a big smile. “Perfect hangover food is waiting for you on the table.”

Chanyeol stared at them a moment and wondered how to reconcile wanting to hate these people with being so grateful that they were taking care of him right now. It was all confusing, and it still bothered him that they hadn’t told him. But Baekhyun’s point had been made clear, and he supposed, that in the end, he deserved what he got.

He sat at the table to try and eat a slice of pizza, and Kyungsoo joined him, grabbing another slice and sitting with him while Baekhyun and Jisoo stayed on the couch.

“Feeling more human now?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“Yeah,” Chanyeol replied, though maybe not in a way that confirmed it. “I can’t believe I missed practice this morning.” And then a thought occurred to him and he looked at Kyungsoo with furrowed brows. “I can’t believe you’re not in class. Don’t you have class?”

“You know I always look for excuses to skip,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a smirk.

Chanyeol would’ve smirked back, but he just ate more of his pizza instead.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you,” Kyungsoo then said, and Chanyeol shrugged.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol told him. “I guess everyone thought they were doing the right thing.”

“I was honestly confused when I found out,” Kyungsoo admitted. “But I thought you were acting so off at the time anyway that I figured it explained why.”

“I was acting off?” Chanyeol said, his eyebrows raising.

“Uh, yeah,” Kyungsoo said, pursing his lips into a little thoughtful pout that made Chanyeol stare at him. “You were pretty off from the moment you started dating Nayeon. Maybe off isn’t the right word. But you were different in a way that didn’t seem very you.”

Chanyeol considered this while he ate, thinking that he didn’t know how he had felt outside of confused and excited at having his first girlfriend. Everything about it had seemed so sudden, and he never had a true grasp on what it even meant to be dating her.

After a moment, he finally said, “Maybe that just proves she wasn’t the right person for me.”

“Don’t worry,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a supportive smile. “The right person will come along.”

Chanyeol wanted to tell him that the right person already had, but Kyungsoo and Taeyong were happy together, and he didn’t want to make things weird by confessing something that he wasn’t ready to confess anyway. Just because he ruined his own relationship didn’t mean he should ruin Kyungsoo’s.

Jisoo came over to the table to grab more pizza and to drop off Chanyeol’s phone.

“It still works,” she pointed out. “Just has a crack at the bottom of the screen that you should be able to get fixed.”

“Thanks,” Chanyeol said, glancing at it to see that he had never seen that many missed texts or calls on his phone in his entire life.

He unlocked his phone to scroll through and delete most of them, knowing that most had come from the people sitting in his apartment with him right now. But then he got to some that weren’t, and he debated reading them now or just deleting them without reading. His curiosity betrayed him, and he tapped on the ones from Nayeon first.

_Nayeon: I packed up your stuff in a box and Momo’s going to drop it off at Baek’s. Give him my stuff so he can do the same._

_Nayeon: You can delete my number now. I’m blocking you._

Chanyeol didn’t think he’d ever been blocked by anyone before, and he didn’t care much for how that felt even if he did deserve it.

_Jongdae: Hey, is everything okay? Soo and Baek called me to ask if you were over here, but I told them you weren’t. Call them if you see this._

_Jongdae: Um, so Soo just filled me in on what went down. Dude, I’m so sorry. Feel free to come over if you need a place to hide._

_Jongdae: Hey, just checking up on you. Hope you’re okay. Let me know if you need anything._

Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile a little at the screen, and he looked up at Kyungsoo and asked, “Did Dae know that Nayeon knew too?”

“No,” Kyungsoo informed him with a shake of the head. “Dae didn’t know anything. We never told him about you cheating on Nayeon in the first place. It took a while to explain to him why we were worried about you. We both figured that he had enough on his plate with Wendy and Hannah, so we didn’t want to add more.”

That made sense to Chanyeol, and he replied to Jongdae to let him know that he was fine and to thank him for checking up on him.

_Rosé: Dude, Jisoo’s freaking out because you’re not returning her calls. Return her calls._

_Rosé: Also, sorry today’s been shitty for you, but you can do better than Nayeon anyway._

_Rosé: People always overreact to cheating. Like, just do you. She knew. She could’ve dumped your ass. If I found out Shay was cheating on me, I’d throw her out the door. Nayeon was using you so this is what she gets. Don’t feel bad about it._

_Rosé: And if this Sana girl is giving you better pussy, then be with her instead. Good pussy is important._

_Rosé: Honestly don’t feel bad about it. I cheated on my boyfriend in high school. But he was a bad lay, and I was seeing if there was something better out there before I dumped him. Anyway, long story short, he found out, called me a whore, and I kicked him in the balls and slashed his tires._

_Rosé: Like okay, maybe I was a whore, but he was a bad lay, and in my book, that’s the same shit._

_Rosé: Don’t be a bad lay, Yeol. Ever. If you need to make sure you’re a good lay, I can show you some pointers._

_Rosé: I’m here for you, you whore. We can be whores together. Anyway, I love you, call Jisoo._

Chanyeol snorted midway through reading that and put his hand over his mouth, trying to keep from chuckling at Rosé’s messages, which he had no idea how to reply to.

“What is it?” Kyungsoo asked.

“How do I reply to Rosé?” he asked, showing both Kyungsoo and Jisoo the messages.

“Oh my God,” Kyungsoo said, covering his mouth as well.

“Don’t,” Jisoo said, rolling her eyes and handing him his phone back. “Don’t encourage her behavior. She was probably high as fuck when she wrote all that.”

“I’ll just tell her thanks for the advice and that you’re here now checking up on me,” Chanyeol said, sending back exactly that.

Then he moved on to the next person.

_Jennie: I hope you’re okay. Breakups are the worst. Let me know if you need anything._

_Jennie: Do you need me to take Nayeon or anyone else off the list for the party?_

Chanyeol didn’t think he’d be going to the party anymore, but he replied “no” anyway.

_Chanyeol: Thanks, Jennie. I’m fine now. And no, I know she really wanted to go, so I’d like to leave it up to her if she does or doesn’t._

And then he got to the one set of texts that he wanted to delete before he could read them. He had a feeling that he knew what would be in them anyway. But he figured he might as well just see if he was right.

_Sana: I just heard about the breakup. Are you okay?_

_Sana: I’m so sorry about how things happened. I should have told you that I knew, but I didn’t want to upset you or give you a reason to be mad at me._

_Sana: This really sucks, and I know it’s my fault, but I wish you could understand that I didn’t want to hurt you._

_Sana: I just wanted you, and I knew that Nayeon was only dating you because of who you were, but I actually liked you, and I wanted to show you that._

_Sana: I thought that if I could get to you early enough, that you would change your mind about Nayeon and date me instead._

_Sana: But I realize now that I went about it the wrong way. I thought I could seduce you away from her, but maybe I should have tried being your friend instead._

_Sana: Or maybe I should have just kept having an unrequited crush on you from a distance, but I really couldn’t stand how she would talk about you to everyone in our sorority._

_Sana: And I hated that she started acting like she was better than everyone else just because she was dating you, so part of it may have been done out of spite._

_Sana: It wasn’t fair, you know? I’ve had a crush on you since freshman year. You probably don’t remember, but we were in the same Writing class our first semester of freshman year._

_Sana: I made sure to go to all your basketball games because I loved watching you play._

_Sana: There were so many times that I wanted to find the courage to go up to you and say something, but I didn’t find it until the last part of sophomore year._

_Sana: I was super shy freshman year. I’ve been shy all of my life, and I didn’t start coming out of my shell until I joined Sigma Phi Omega._

_Sana: Too little too late, I guess. Right?_

_Sana: Anyway, I’ll understand if you decide to never talk to me again. But please know that if you wanted to give me a chance, I could be a great girlfriend. I really could. Or maybe we could start over._

_Sana: Also, feel free to un-invite me from the party. That was a shitty move on my part to ask you to be put on the list. But Nayeon wouldn’t stop bragging about it, and I wanted to show her that you could get me on the list too._

_Sana: I know this sounds like I’m an awful person. It’s fine if you think that. I deserve it._

_Sana: I really want us to talk. Can we?_

_Sana: I’ll understand if you don’t want to. I’ll accept whatever choice you make here. I’m just happy that I got to have you sometimes too. In my head, I always fantasized that it was a bit more._

_Sana: I’ll stop bugging you now. Again, I’m really sorry. Please try not to hate me. I’m so sorry._

Chanyeol leaned his head against his hand on the table, scrolling back through to read it again because he had no idea what to make of what he had read.

He had been expecting Sana to plead her case, but not like this. This hit so honest and raw that he felt completely thrown off by it.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked, having noticed his expression.

“I’m… not sure,” Chanyeol replied, and he looked over at the couch where Jisoo had returned to, sitting back down next to Baekhyun.

They both were looking at him, triggered by Kyungsoo’s question, and Chanyeol motioned for Baekhyun to come over.

“I need you to read something,” he explained.

He didn’t know how to interpret what Sana had written, and he couldn’t tell if it was another trap, so he figured Baekhyun could decipher it for him since he was really good with things like that.

Baekhyun sat at the table, and Chanyeol handed him his phone. He wasn’t surprised when Jisoo joined them as well.

“Wow,” Baekhyun said, nodding as he looked at the messages over again, much like Chanyeol had done, and then Baekhyun handed him his phone back.

“Do you think she’s lying?” Chanyeol asked him, “Because it felt honest to me.”

“I think it’s pretty honest,” Baekhyun agreed, pursing his lips to the side in thought. “It resonates with things Momo’s told me about her. I had asked her before what Sana was playing at, and she would say that she really just liked you and wanted you to pick her over Nayeon.”

“Is this the side chick?” Jisoo asked, already grabbing for Chanyeol’s phone. “Let me read it.”

Chanyeol didn’t even try to stop her, guessing that he should probably hear her opinion on it as well.

Jisoo read it, gave a soft snort, then handed it to Kyungsoo, who had made a grabby motion.

“I told Jennie that Nayeon was just clout-chasing,” Jisoo said, “But you know how Jennie is. Always giving everyone a chance.”

“I highly regret setting you guys up,” Baekhyun agreed. “My first instinct was to set you up with Momo, but she was taken. I was actually friends with her boyfriend first. He doesn’t even go here. He’s an older guy that I met at an open mic night, and we got to talking, and he mentioned his girlfriend went to school here, and next thing I knew, I had Sigmas in my life.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Jisoo told him, “Most people in this city are clout-chasers, so it was inevitable. Some of them turn out to be alright, and others not so much. You can’t hate them for playing the game, but if they don’t play it right, then they gotta go.”

“Sana doesn’t sound like a clout-chaser,” Kyungsoo said, handing the phone back to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol let out a big sigh, trying to decipher all this information his friends were giving him.

“I mean,” Baekhyun said, seeming to understand what was going, or not going, through Chanyeol’s head. “This is your chance to try things with Sana if you want to. But usually after a breakup, you should take some time for yourself and not jump into another relationship.”

“Rebounds are annoying,” Jisoo agreed. “Baek was my rebound, and Lord knows that got annoying.”

“The beauty of not getting into committed relationships,” Baekhyun fired back, “Is that no one is a rebound. So it’s never annoying.”

“Fine, you weren’t annoying,” Jisoo said, shaking her head. “Way to make me look like an ass when I was just joking.”

“You make it so easy,” Baekhyun told her, which made Jisoo narrow her eyes at him and then smile. “But honestly, Yeol, take a few days to focus back on you and basketball, and then, in those few days, if you feel you want to keep talking to Sana, text her back, and sit down and have a good, honest talk with her about things. She claims she’s willing to start over, so if you want, do that. Take her on dates, get to know her first, but don’t make any commitments.”

“Agreed,” Jisoo said, nodding. “You can just play the field right now. You have your season to worry about. Championships before romance, right?”

“Right,” Chanyeol said, feeling better about this idea, and he looked at Kyungsoo and asked him. “What do you think?”

Kyungsoo had been looking concerned and biting his lip as Baekhyun and Jisoo had been talking, but he looked surprised that Chanyeol had asked him, and he said, “I think you should do what feels right.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol nodded. “I’ll take a few days to focus, and then I’ll make a decision based on what I think feels right.”

Kyungsoo nodded along with the rest of them, but for some reason, Chanyeol thought he didn’t look as hopeful about it as Baekhyun and Jisoo did.


	16. Chapter 16

If Jongin had thought that he had mentally prepared for his first Jennie Kim Halloween Extravaganza, he had been severely mistaken. Lisa had tried to warn him, and even as he helped with Jennie’s errands and preparations, he still did not understand the magnitude of what she had created until he was on the red carpet, in front of the dark black and green backdrop that had the club name and the party name scrawled across it in silver and white.

The party theme that Jennie had decided on for this year was Night of the Damned and, based upon the film that had inspired it, Jennie was dressed as the Queen of the Damned, the costume so intricate that Jongin kept noticing a new piece each time he looked at her. Though her black skirt was long, it started at the lowest part of her hips, an ornate belt keeping it in place as a shower of crystal and silver jewels fell down the middle. In contrast to her completely covered legs, the bralette she wore was barely even that, and her entire stomach, shoulders, and arms were exposed, decorated by arm bands and wrist bands that matched the décor of the skirt.

But the part that most had people turning their heads was the incredible headdress that she wore, part tribal, part steampunk, but framing her face in a way that accentuated the dramatic makeup her makeup artist had applied.

In contrast, as her vampire Lestat, Jongin was shirtless, with only black leather pants on that also hung low on his hips and a modestly ornate belt to match the one that it couldn’t compare to on Jennie. He did have a mesh shirt for later, once they were inside and the photographs were done, but even with the thick black necklace that he wore and his hair freely flowing around his head, Jongin felt utterly naked.

Walking the red carpet and having their pictures taken was completely optional for the guests, and a backdoor entrance was set up for those who wanted to party a bit more in private and not be featured in the club’s promotions after the fact. Unlike most of their friends, Jongin didn’t really have a choice, so he posed with Jennie, then stepped away so she could pose by herself before rejoining her and escorting her inside the lair of the damned where Jennie would greet the members of her coven.

Or something like that.

But Jongin had to admit he was impressed. The inside of the club looked gothic, with candles and swaths of ripped black cloths hanging from the ceiling. The stage was covered in candles, and a very large throne was set up. Jennie’s entrance was the cue for the DJ to stop the music and for the lights to go out, only very momentarily, before a creepy, gothic song began playing and the candles flickered almost as if to the beat. A single spotlight shone on Jennie, who walked up the catwalk that had been set up to guide her toward her throne.

Paid dancers crawled onto the stage as if they were vampires, drawn to the power of their queen. And the music became even more haunting as other paid actors came onto stage in cloaks, holding candles, and chanting.

By this point, even though he knew it was all being recorded professionally, Jongin still felt compelled to record the spectacle on his phone as well as the audience who looked awed as they paid attention to what was happening.

And then the music rose to a crescendo as Jennie took her throne, the vampires falling to their knees to bow to her, at which point the club went pitch dark again and the party had officially begun.

Once the lights were on and the DJ was back in business, Jongin headed to the VIP area to find Lisa, who had his mesh shirt. He found her quickly and was grateful when she immediately handed it to him, knowing how badly he needed to put it on.

“Boo, I was enjoying the view,” Rosé teased with a pout, lounging on the velvety red settee in her red vampire costume, looking like a very different kind of vampire queen as the short dress hugged her tight while a red cape draped over her. Her hair was dyed red and flowed in waves around her shoulders, courtesy of the makeup and hair team that Jennie had hired for her and her closest friends.

Jennie had made sure to rent out two suites in the nearby luxury hotel just off the Sunset Strip, and one suite had been for the men and the other for the women. Jennie refused to let any of her friends or anyone in her crew attend the party not looking up to par, so she paid for the hair and makeup team that helped transform them into every character possible of Jennie’s elaborate vision for her lair inhabitants.

The politics of this had been worthy of a television drama, considering recent developments. Nayeon, who Jennie had originally included in the “getting ready” party, had been removed, even though she was still invited to the party itself. The other significant others of the core crew had been invited, but not Wendy, out of respect for Lisa.

The invite for the men’s suite had been less dramatic, with Taeyong and Lucas being the only two others invited outside of Jongin, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Sehun. Jongdae had also been invited, but as Wendy couldn’t go to the girl’s suite, Jongdae said he’d get ready at home with her and meet them there.

And while the hotel suites had been very exclusive, the VIP area in the club was a little less so, where celebrities, influencers, and those who paid the right price for bottle service mingled. Jongin found his way over to Summer Kyle, who was sitting on one of the couches that looked over the dance floor, dressed like cat woman, and speaking with her manager who she had brought as her plus one.

He greeted them both then sat on the couch that faced them, grateful to finally be able to really relax and get some quality enjoyment time in before inevitably things started to go crazy.

“Not even God himself could compete with that entrance,” Summer told him, and Jongin laughed, looking out at the stage where Jennie still sat as people took turns standing by her throne to take pictures with her.

“She has a knack for turning heads,” he agreed, then looked back at her. “You enjoying yourself?”

“I am,” Summer said, lifting her champagne glass, “My manager’s even letting me have a drink to celebrate.”

“Only because people aren’t allowed to take pictures up in VIP,” her manager said, looking around as if to make sure no one had a phone pointed in her direction.

“You’re safe up here,” Jongin said, then modified the statement. “At least from that. Things are probably going to get a little crazy in a bit once everyone’s had a few drinks.”

“Are you going to get a little crazy?” she asked him with an amused expression.

“No,” Jongin told her, “I don’t really drink. I’m the one that makes sure all my friends get home safely by the end of the night.”

“I should’ve guessed,” Summer said with a small chuckle. “You’re so good at taking care of people.”

“I have two older sisters,” Jongin explained with a proud smile, “I picked it up from how good they always took care of me.”

“Aww,” Summer said, then glanced around, “Are they here? Is Jonghee here?”

“Noooo,” Jongin said, his eyes wide at the thought. “They wouldn’t really approve of this. Jonghee told me to not have fun and just make sure I looked good in the red-carpet pictures.”

Summer laughed and said, “I wish she was here. I like your sister a lot.”

“I like her a lot too, but I definitely don’t wish she was here,” he mused, glancing over as he noticed Jennie’s roommates walking by and waving at him. He waved back then explained to Summer, “My girlfriend’s roommates.”

Summer nodded then asked, “Is your roommate here too?”

“Yeah,” Jongin said, looking over his shoulder, then turning a bit to point at her. “She’s the emerald green vampire. She and the red vampire are two of my girlfriend’s best friends.” He then waved Lisa over when she spotted him looking at her while speaking to Rosé. “You have to meet her,” Jongin then said, turning back to face Summer. “She’s my favorite dancer in the whole world.”

“You’ve mentioned that before,” Summer said, smiling at him.

“Because it’s true,” he stated, and when Lisa got to them, he introduced them all to each other.

“I’m so glad to finally meet you,” Summer told her as Lisa took a seat beside Jongin. “Jongin talks a lot about what a great dancer you are.”

“How much did he pay you to say that?” Lisa joked, and Jongin snickered.

“No, he really does,” Summer insisted, and Lisa thanked her and said that she thought the same about Jongin, which made him feel the need to be humble and insist that she was the one now being paid.

As Summer and Lisa continued talking, moving on from dancing to how much they liked each other’s costumes, Rosé came over with Shay, and Jongin introduced them as well.

“Jennie wants all her vampires on the stage so we can do pictures,” Rosé then informed them, and Jongin and Lisa excused themselves from Summer and her manager as duty called.

After the pictures were done, Jongin checked his phone for missed texts from his friends and found out Jongdae had arrived. Jongin excused himself from everyone, sliding his mesh shirt back on, and headed toward the back entrance where he had told Jongdae to wait for him so he could find him easier.

Then again, it wasn’t hard to spot him when he was surrounded by three angels, and Jongin couldn’t stop the obvious, stupid joke from coming out of his mouth.

“It’s Jongdae and Jongdae’s Angels,” Jongin said, and Jongdae appropriately gave him a smack on the arm for the dad joke.

“I’m not affiliated,” Jongdae, who was dressed as a vampire to fit the theme, said. “And Joy wants to go home already.”

“This is scary,” Joy said, and Jongin did think this theme would be a little hard for her to take. Wendy and Seulgi were church girls, but the kind that acknowledged that the world outside of it existed, whereas Joy seemed to think that everything needed to be just as pure and innocent as what she had been raised to believe.

“It’s not scary,” Jongin told her, “I promise. That’s just my girlfriend, and those are just paid actors and dancers,” he said as he motioned toward the stage. “Come on, you’ll feel more comfortable up in VIP.”

“Tell me you recorded the grand entrance,” Jongdae said, walking beside Jongin and bouncing in excitement. “I can’t wait to watch it.” Jongin did always admire how Jongdae fed off the energy and chaos of being around so many people, whereas Jongin wished he was already back at the suite and sleeping. “Is Soo here?”

“Yeah, I saw him and Taeyong in VIP earlier, but I haven’t had a chance to hang out with him yet,” Jongin let him know, and the security guard at the VIP stairs unhooked the rope for them so they could go up.

In fact, a lot of other people had shown up to VIP in the time he had been gone, and he tried to figure out where people were, some having switched locations. He spotted Kyungsoo and Taeyong where they were before on the couches that Jongin had reserved for his friends, and they had now been joined by Baekhyun, Lucas, Kris, and Kyungsoo’s big brother from the frat.

They headed over, Jongdae being loud and obnoxious as he ran to hug everyone, and they, in turn, decided to be loud and obnoxious too as they greeted him back.

“You brought my family!” Lucas said, excited as he waved at Wendy, Seulgi, and Joy. Unlike the girls whose angel costumes were demure and cute, Lucas was shirtless, with leather pants and wings that looked a bit dirty and battered.

“It looks like we kicked you out of the family,” Seulgi joked.

“Take me back!” Lucas said, and then laughed along with them.

People scooted around so that Jongdae and the angels could sit, and those that hadn’t met yet were introduced to each other.

When Jennie made it upstairs finally, along with everyone else she and the other vampires had picked up along the way, Jongin headed over to her. Everyone settled into Jennie’s reserved area, which was right next to where his friends’ section was. Jennie had coordinated it like that so they could all interact freely without issue.

“Jongdae!” Jennie said all excited, “Why did you come too late for my vampire pictures? Let’s do a selfie instead.”

Jongin chuckled at this but didn’t budge, standing back to watch and saying “hi” to Sehun and Johnny when they said “hi” to him before taking their seats.

“So which angel is she?” Lisa asked, standing beside him and looking toward the spectacle that was Jongdae and Jennie posing for her phone. With selfies done, they had now given Jennie’s phone to Taeyong to take pictures of them being silly together.

“The one that was sitting beside him before Jennie inserted herself between them,” Jongin answered, and then added, “Her name is Wendy.”

“She’s really pretty,” Lisa said, now focusing on her as if having to assess her completely.

“You’re pretty. And?” Jongin asked her, hoping she wasn’t comparing herself.

“I’m just saying,” Lisa shrugged, and she watched a little longer. It was long enough for Jongdae to notice and give her a small smile, which she returned before finally looking away and sitting beside Jisoo.

Once Jennie was done with her pictures, she came back over to show them off to Jongin, who approved of every single one, and then he took her hand and said, “I want you to meet Summer.”

“Oh, I’m so excited to finally meet her,” Jennie said, walking with her through the many patrons in VIP, which ended up taking longer than it needed to with her being stopped by almost everyone to say “hello” or thank her for the invite.

When he finally got to introduce them, he sat back against the couch, sipping a soda and watching amused as the two women talked excitedly about the other.

“Jongin’s shown me all the footage,” Jennie said at one point. “He’s so excited about everything he works on with you, and you’re so amazing in everything.”

“Your Instagram aesthetic is serious goals,” Summer said in another moment. “And honestly, I would buy anything you promoted. Your taste is so on point.”

The mutual admiration continued for as long as it could before Jennie was being summoned by someone else. They excused themselves, and Jongin ended up nursing several sodas in the time he was introduced to this person or that one or listened to Jennie catch up with an influencer or YouTube celeb she hadn’t talked to in a long time.

Of course there were models and actors and singers and socialites that commanded her attention as well, and even though Jongin knew this would be his fate for his night, what he really wished he was doing was hanging out with his friends, who seemed to be having a great time without him. Every time he looked over while tuning out a conversation that he had no interest in, he would see them laughing about something, or dancing in their area, or leaning over the couches to talk to their other friends as well.

They kept shifting positions, coming and going from the area to head downstairs to the main dancefloor or over to the bar for a little privacy away from the group. At some point, he noticed that Chanyeol had made his appearance with a guy and two girls he didn’t recognize, and at another point he saw that Kyungsoo was talking to someone, who it took Jongin way too long to realize was Yixing. He also noticed that Nayeon had managed to get up to VIP with three girls he had never seen before, and he snorted to himself, thinking that maybe it was better that he was stuck making the rounds with Jennie instead of having to sit through whatever drama was bound to happen.

When they finally did make it back to their friends, it was only for Jennie to say something to Rosé privately, which ended up with Rosé opening her clutch and pulling out a small pill bottle, shaking out the contents and putting it in Jennie’s hand. Jongin couldn’t make out what it was, but Jennie took it and chased it down with a glass of champagne. Then next thing he knew, she had taken his hand and was leading him out of VIP, back downstairs to the main dance floor.

He didn’t bother to ask her where she was leading him, just hoping that it wasn’t back on stage for some other performance piece that would require him to take his shirt off. They headed backstage and to the small green room of the club, where Jennie commanded everyone to leave.

No one questioned her authority as the staff that was back there left, and Jennie locked the door and attacked Jongin with a kiss that he should have expected at that point but hadn’t. If the kiss had been anything less than the heated desire of simply wanting to fuck, he would have laughed into it, but his girl wanted to get laid, and she wanted to get laid fast, so he didn’t bother with the couch, pushing her up against the wall and hoisting her up so she could wrap her legs around him as they kissed.

Her skirt was heavier than he had thought, but whatever adrenaline was flowing through her now flowed through him as well, and he pressed hard against her, so she could feel him against her, even through her thong, which had been unnecessary given her long and flowing skirt.

It was clear now that Jennie had been getting off on the attention being given to her the whole night, and she desperately needed her release now. The immediate request from Rosé now made sense, and the Molly that Jennie had taken had worked fast based on how she was groaning and biting his lip and commanding him to get in her in the same tone as she had told the staff to get out.

“There’s no way I fit a condom anywhere into these pants,” he let her know as he let her go enough for her to stand so he could undo his pants.

She rapidly got her thong off, letting it drop straight to the floor. “I’ll take a morning-after pill,” she told him, assaulting his lips again with hers. He lifted her back up, willing to go with it, knowing she was good about that kind of thing.

Jongin gave Jennie everything she wanted, playing his role too well of a vampire serving his queen in the way she asked him to. Watching Jennie scream out in ecstasy as he drove into her even harder made his own senses explode before his body could even catch up.

After they were done, Jennie had barely wiped herself down in the bathroom and freshened up before getting her thong back on and heading back into the crowd to chase the high all over again.


	17. Chapter 17

Chanyeol hadn’t known how much he needed a good night out with a great DJ playing and good booze in his system until this very moment that he was at the party, dancing with Sana and her best friend Mina who had been her plus one.

He had kept his promise to Nayeon to get Jihyo in as his plus one. So even though it had been awkward for everyone for him to arrive with Sana and then have to walk up to Nayeon and her friends who were waiting outside for them so that he could get Jihyo in, it had at least gone smoothly, with everyone being cordial to each other.

Which was perfect because, as far as he was concerned, there would be no drama from him tonight. In the last few weeks, he had learned a lot about himself, his friends, and the people he generally surrounded himself with, and he had figured out that the best way to avoid repeating any of his mistakes was to be completely honest with people, and most of all, himself.

So when he had finally spoken with Sana, and they had talked things out a bit, he went ahead and told her that he was bi and that he occasionally hooked up with a guy on campus. Sana had been more surprised about it than Nayeon had been, but she had taken it well, saying that she didn’t have a problem with it and that it didn’t change that she wanted to keep seeing him.

They had agreed to keep it casual and see where it led them, Chanyeol also being honest about the fact that he wasn’t sure relationships were something he should try again anytime soon. But he had to admit that it did feel nice to have Sana as a date to this party, and he liked that without planning it, they had both dressed as superheroes. He already felt that he was more on the same wavelength with her than he had ever been with Nayeon.

When they felt they needed to get more drinks and take a small break from the energy they were expending, they headed back up to VIP where they ran into Kyungsoo and Taeyong at the bar. When Chanyeol had seen Kyungsoo initially that night, all of his thoughts had disappeared as he had taken him in. Seeing him again now, he still couldn’t get over how good he looked as a chef.

A really cute chef, in fact, as he wore a long-sleeved black T-shirt, a huge white apron, and a white headband that his red hair rose above in spikes. Chanyeol had known that Kyungsoo was dressing up as the anime character Sōma tonight, but seeing it in person had exceeded his expectations, and he couldn’t stop the huge smile on his face each time he saw him.

“Your costume really came out great,” Chanyeol told him as they waited for one of the busy bartenders to come over to their side. “I meant to tell you that earlier.”

“Yours did too,” Kyungsoo said, and Chanyeol thanked him, though he didn’t think his Spiderman costume was that creative. He had considered different superheroes, then ran out of time and ended up finding a Spiderman costume that fit him at the last minute.

Chanyeol really couldn’t take his eyes off him, and he wished that they could run away and hide together from everyone else again, just like they had at Rosé’s birthday party. But it wouldn’t be easy this time. Kyungsoo’s boyfriend seemed intent on being by his side the whole night, and Chanyeol had Sana with him. But the look he gave him conveyed his wish anyway, and he swore that Kyungsoo could see his thoughts and seemed to be looking back at him in a way that agreed.

At least that’s what he chose to believe.

Once they had their drinks, they went to sit in their reserved area for a little bit to cool off and were promptly joined by Rosé. Chanyeol hoped that Kyungsoo joined them, but Taeyong said something about wanting to dance, and they had disappeared to head downstairs.

“Hi, I’m Rosé,” she introduced herself to Sana and Mina, and Chanyeol rose his eyebrow at her, wondering what she was playing at. “I was just talking to the other girls and thought I’d come over and introduce myself.”

Sana looked unsure but introduced herself and Mina as well, then politely saying, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“What do you want?” Chanyeol asked her, and Rosé looked affronted.

“Am I not allowed to meet the side chick?” Rosé asked.

“Wow,” Mina said, looking unimpressed at Rosé.

“Don’t call her that,” Chanyeol said to Rosé, and then he looked at Mina and said, “Rosé is crazy, excuse her random comments.”

“We’re all mad here,” Rosé said as if she was suddenly the Mad Hatter and this was her tea party, and then she turned her attention back to Sana. “And I’m not hating. In fact, I approve. I told Chanyeol to just dump Nayeon and date you instead, and I’m so glad he listened.”

“This really had nothing to do with you,” Chanyeol told her, and then made sure to tell Sana, “I don’t take advice from her.”

“People really should,” Rosé said with a dramatic sigh. “My advice is so good.”

“Don’t mind her,” Shay said, coming over as if knowing her help was needed. “She’s high on all kinds of shit right now.”

“Most of all herself,” Chanyeol teased.

Rosé gasped then laughed and said, “It’s true.” She then introduced the girls to Shay. “This is my gorgeous girlfriend. Isn’t she stunning?”

“Stop, you crazy wasted person,” Shay said, chuckling a little as she ran her hand through Rosé’s hair, but then she looked at Sana and Mina and said, “It’s really nice to meet you guys.”

Sehun came over with Johnny, probably to assess Rosé’s condition as well, and Chanyeol smiled at him.

“This is my little brother Sehun,” Chanyeol introduced to Sana and Mina. “And that’s his roommate, Johnny. They’re freshmen at Occidental.”

“Oh,” Sana said, smiling wide at him and shaking Sehun’s outstretched hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“How are you liking Occidental?” Mina asked him.

“It’s great,” Sehun said, lighting up as he did every time he talked about his school. Chanyeol thought it was adorable and was genuinely happy that Sehun had found the right place for him. “I joined the hip-hop dance team and a few other clubs.”

“Sehun’s the best dancer,” Rosé said, and Sehun shook his head quickly.

“I am not,” Sehun said, “You can’t say that when Lisa is sitting right there, and Jongin is here, and Taeyong. I finally saw Taeyong dance and it’s incredible.”

Chanyeol pursed his lips to the side, thinking that Kyungsoo certainly had a type. Kyungsoo had always had a crush on Jongin, who was an incredible dancer, and dated Yixing, who based on the few minutes of seeing him in his Speedo on stage at the gay club could move well, and he was now dating Taeyong, who apparently was also an “incredible” dancer. He now wondered what Kyungsoo had seen in him in the first place since he didn’t seem to be his type. Then he frowned at the idea. If he wasn’t his type, he probably wasn’t interested in him anymore and had moved on for good. Chanyeol didn’t like the thought of that.

“Mina is a trained ballet dancer,” Sana then told Sehun, and Sehun sat down, excited to talk to Mina about dancing, which was adorable and would have amused Chanyeol even more if he wasn’t now lost in thought about Kyungsoo probably not liking him anymore.

Chanyeol noticed his cell phone light up with a message from Minseok who asked where he was, and he told him to head to the VIP stairs and that he’d get him in.

“Be right back, guys,” Chanyeol said, getting up from the couch, then he looked at Rose and said, “I need your help getting my friend up into VIP.”

Rose excused herself from the group, and as they headed to the stairs, Rosé said, “She’s prettier than Nayeon. Good choice.”

“She is not,” Chanyeol told her, willing her with his eyes to stop being obnoxious. “They’re both really pretty.”

“Sana’s more my type. Let me know if you guys ever want me to join in a threesome.”

“Keep dreaming,” Chanyeol told her.

Rosé laughed and then spoke to the security guard as they got to the bottom of the steps, letting him know they had a friend who needed to come up.

“That guy,” Chanyeol pointed out when he saw Minseok approaching in what looked like a ghostly rocker kind of outfit, given the pale face and leather jacket. The security guard unhooked the rope for him, and Chanyeol introduced him to Rosé before they headed back up.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in the VIP section of anything before,” Minseok said, following them up.

“The booze is better,” Rosé let him know.

“Noted,” Minseok said.

“There’s champagne on the table, but we can stop by the bar and get you a real drink first,” Chanyeol told him, leading him toward the bar.

“Am I the only person up here that’s of age to be drinking?” Minseok mused as he looked around at the crowd.

“Probably,” Chanyeol said with a soft laugh. “That’s why no pictures are allowed to be taken up here.”

“I see,” Minseok said, and Chanyeol did notice that his eyes were a bit wide as he took everything in.

“I finally turn 21 next month,” Chanyeol then pointed out, mostly so Minseok didn’t freak out since he was practically legal. “So I won’t have to carry around a fake ID anymore.”

Minseok nodded then said, “I never had a fake ID. I always thought they weren’t real and just made up for movies and TV.”

“Oh, no, they’re real,” Chanyeol confirmed as the bartender asked them what they’d like.

Minseok ordered a beer and Chanyeol decided he’d have the same. Once they had their beers in hand, Chanyeol brought him over to the reserved area, noticing that Jisoo and Momo had joined them, and introducing him to everyone who was sitting around.

“I love your costume,” Rosé then said to Minseok. “What are you supposed to be?”

“How can you love a costume when you don’t know what it is?” Sehun asked her.

“He looks good in it,” Rosé defended as if the answer was obvious.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be,” Minseok told them honestly. “I just went through my closet and figured out what I could pull off then painted my face white to make it Halloween-ish.”

“You’re so smart,” Rosé told him, nodding her head as if to give him props for being clever.

“You don’t even know how smart he is,” Chanyeol told her. “He’s graduating this year with his master’s degree in something medical-related.”

“You’re going to be a doctor?” Sehun asked him in awe.

“No,” Minseok chuckled. “I’m getting my Master of Science in Biokinesiology with an emphasis on sports science.”

“I definitely made the right choice in not going to college,” Rosé waved off, taking a long sip of her drink to finish it off.

“That’s really impressive,” Jisoo said, looking very intrigued by this. “And what’s your plan for after graduation?”

“My dream is to be the head athletic trainer for the LA Galaxy, but until that day, I’m hoping to get hired onto a good NCAA or a Division I high school program in the area,” Minseok told her. “I also plan on starting my own personal training business, and hopefully own my own gym one day.”

“Oh my God,” Jisoo said, “I need a personal trainer. I’ve been doing Pilates, but it’s not de-stressing me in the way I need. Are you taking clients now?”

Minseok chuckled and shook his head, “Not with basketball season in full swing.”

“Sorry, I’m his only client during this time,” Chanyeol joked with a shrug.

“Him and the rest of the team,” Minseok clarified, and Chanyeol faked a mean look at him for ruining his joke, which made Minseok shrug with an amused smile.

“Okay, give me your number,” Jisoo said, “Because you’re getting a phone call from me the day after he wins the championship.”

Minseok laughed at that and gave her his number, but then warned her. “I’ll be in the middle of finishing my master’s thesis after basketball season, so you may have to wait until summer.”

“That’s when I’ll need it the most,” Jisoo told him. “No really, I only do well with personal trainers. I have the drive, but I still need the accountability.”

“I don’t even know where a gym is,” Rosé said, “One time I went into one to see what it was all about, and I walked right back out.”

“This is not surprising about you,” Johnny joked, and Chanyeol snickered.

Rosé smirked and said, “I get all my exercise from sex.”

“Well, I’m ready to get back on the dance floor,” Sehun said, standing up, and Chanyeol let out a loud laugh at the obvious subject change. “Do you want to come dance with us?” he then asked Mina.

“Sure,” Mina said, and then she took Sana’s hand to come with her, and Sana looked back at Chanyeol.

“I’m going to spend a little more time with Minseok,” Chanyeol told her, “but you should go. My brother is a really great dancer.”

“We’ll be back,” Sana told him with a smile, and she headed off with Mina, Momo, Sehun, and Johnny to go back downstairs to dance.

“I need more drink,” Rosé said, getting up as well. “Let me know if you guys need a bump. I’ve got plenty for the night.”

“Jesus, your ass is going to get arrested carrying around that much shit,” Jisoo told her.

“Well, good thing you’re my lawyer then,” Rosé told her as she walked away with Shay.

“I’m not a lawyer yet, dumbass,” Jisoo yelled out after her, and then shook her head and smiled back at Chanyeol and Minseok.

“You’re in law school?” Minseok asked her.

“Not yet, I’m still an undergrad,” Jisoo told him. “I’m just now a sophomore, so two more years, and then I’m applying to USC. I go to UCLA now, so I figured if I get my law degree at USC, I’ll have both schools covered as far as connections go.”

“I did the same thing,” Minseok said, looking surprised. “Did my undergrad at UCLA and then came to ‘SC for the masters for the same reason.”

“Great minds think alike,” Jisoo said with a big smile.

“You guys are weird,” Chanyeol told them. “You couldn’t pay me to keep going to school after I graduate next year.”

“You’re weird,” Jisoo teased him, then looked back at Minseok. “So if soccer is where you want to be, why are you working with the basketball team?”

“USC doesn’t have a Pac-12 men’s soccer program,” Minseok told her, and Jisoo looked surprised by this. “I know, it’s crazy. They have a great women’s soccer program though, and I help them with training early in the pre-season before basketball revs up and I switch over.”

“He played soccer for UCLA,” Chanyeol pointed out, knowing Jisoo would like that tidbit.

“Really?” Jisoo said, excited by this. “You were on the team?”

“I was,” Minseok confirmed, also smiling pretty big about this. “I even got to be a starter finally in my junior year. Never got a championship, but we came close a couple of times.”

“So then why aren’t you a player on the Galaxy instead?” Jisoo asked him.

“I knew I was never going to be good enough to go pro,” Minseok said with a humble laugh. “I’m a realist and a pragmatist. I love playing, so I’m part of a soccer club during the summer, that way I still get to play. I don’t actually think I could ever fully stop playing, you know?”

“I am literally not that passionate about anything,” Jisoo said, “I let Chanyeol be the passionate one in our group of friends.”

“It’s true,” Chanyeol agreed. “Jisoo lacks passion. She’s a very cold person.”

“You’re so dumb,” Jisoo said, reaching out to smack his knee at his stupid joke.

“I find it hard to believe you’re not passionate about anything,” Minseok then said to her. “There has to be something. Law maybe?”

“My parents are lawyers,” Jisoo waived off, “I knew at a young age that I was going to follow in their footsteps. It was expected.”

“Jisoo’s passion is being the best,” Chanyeol then said, after having thought about it for a moment. “She’s in a great school, made sure to join the best sorority, wants to graduate with the top GPA, get into the best law school, get hired on by the best law firm in town, and be the best lawyer there before probably starting her own firm.”

“That’s a lot of pressure,” Minseok said, raising his eyebrows at her.

“I thrive under pressure,” Jisoo said, and Minseok seemed to like this answer.

“I’m surprised you’re not in a sport then,” Minseok pointed out to her.

“She has a black belt in taekwondo, played basketball in high school, and is an exercise junkie as you know from her desperate plea to add you to her long list of personal trainers she’s tried out but scared off because they couldn’t handle her intensity,” Chanyeol rattled off for him.

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Jisoo said, narrowing her eyes at Chanyeol, but then she looked at Minseok and said, “I was not good enough at basketball to even consider playing at an NCAA level. I, too, am a realist and a pragmatist.”

“I respect that,” Minseok said, and then he looked between them and said, “So I take it you guys used to play basketball together?”

“That and video games,” Chanyeol nodded. “We grew up spending equal time playing outside and inside.”

“He was better at basketball, and I was better at video games,” Jisoo said, and Chanyeol was absolutely affronted.

“How dare you?” Chanyeol said, “I was better at both than you.”

“Oh, here we go,” Jisoo said, rolling her eyes.

Chanyeol did indeed go into a full explanation about how he beat her all the time at both, and Jisoo countered with how Chanyeol only selectively remembered the things that he wanted to, which forced Chanyeol to admit that he remembered every single time Jisoo did beat him, having to eat his own words.

“You’re going to make a great lawyer,” Minseok said to Jisoo, who smiled with a coy one-armed shrug, knowing fully well that she would be.

“I’m going to get another drink,” Chanyeol said, pouting as he got up, and Jisoo told him to get over it and gave him a smack on the back of his spidey leg.

He pretended to sulk off, but, in reality, he had spotted someone at the bar that had inspired him to get up in the first place. When he had first seen Kyungsoo in his costume, he had the feeling of wishing he could hug him and tell him how good he looked all night, but when he had seen Kris’s costume, he had instead felt the emotion of both wanting to laugh while also being a little flattered.

Chanyeol took in the way that Kris leaned against the bar in his Laker uniform, watching him walk toward him. Chanyeol stood in front of him only a few seconds before the bartender asked him if he wanted another beer. Chanyeol told him he did, then smirked back at Kris, looking him over.

“You can’t be me,” Chanyeol teased him, and Kris gave him a challenging look.

“You’re not a Laker,” Kris teased him back.

“I will be soon,” Chanyeol countered, and Kris laughed.

“You could be a Clipper,” Kris pointed out.

“Lakers only,” Chanyeol stated, and Kris smirked and took a drink from his bottle of beer.

Chanyeol got his just in time to do the same, and then Kris looked him over.

“It’s too bad Sana’s your date tonight,” Kris said, “I keep having fantasies about pulling that costume off of you.”

“Just because I’m going home with her tonight doesn’t mean you can’t have me right now,” Chanyeol said, and he seriously wondered how he managed to have more bravado with Kris than anyone else. There was something about Kris that brought out this bold side of him, and Chanyeol had to admit that he really liked it a lot.

“That’s a good point,” Kris said, and his eyes glanced around before he said, “If only there was a private place we could go.”

Chanyeol tried to think of possibilities, and the only one that came to mind made his nose wrinkle.

“All I can think of is a bathroom stall,” Chanyeol admitted out loud, though he had meant to keep that in his mind.

Kris winked at him for that answer, and said, “Meet you there,” finishing his beer before heading in that direction.

Chanyeol looked around and saw that no one was looking in his direction or paying any attention to him, so he finished his bottle as well, maybe quicker than he should have, but he was both suddenly nervous by his own suggestion and extremely excited as well.

He made sure to take a look around again to ensure that none of his friends saw him as he headed into the bathroom, and then he grinned as Kris grabbed his hand and led him to the furthest away stall, pulling him in and locking the door.


	18. Chapter 18

Kyungsoo knew that Taeyong wasn’t going to be a fan of Yixing attending the party, but Kyungsoo felt he had given Taeyong plenty of warning and plenty of chances to tell him that he really didn’t want him to be there. Still, it didn’t change that Kyungsoo hated the way that Taeyong gave a less-than-welcoming look to Yixing when he had joined them in VIP.

Yixing had gone with the flow though, having expected it, just as he had expected it from Jongdae and Jongin when they had seen him as well. The problem was that Taeyong didn’t seem to want to give Kyungsoo any opportunity to be with Yixing alone, which meant that Yixing had to keep putting up with this, ensuring that he wasn’t going to have any fun.

So Kyungsoo came up with a solution.

“Yixing, this is Sehun. He’s a freshman in college right now and he loves to dance,” Kyungsoo said with a big smile as he introduced the two. In his mind, the person least likely to know anything about Yixing was Sehun, and since they both had the dancing thing in common, he was sure they’d hit it off.

His solution had worked, and the two had hit it off, not just because of their passion for dancing, but because of their interest in each other’s majors and general perspectives on the world. So Kyungsoo was able to spend all the time with Taeyong that he wanted, or Taeyong wanted, without having to worry that Yixing was bored.

He found himself able to have a pretty good time, especially when on the dance floor with Taeyong, loving to see the way that he moved and doing his best to match his effortless hip movements.

At some point though, he was caught off guard by a familiar voice, and he turned to see that it was indeed who he had feared it to be.

“I knew it was you!” Junmyeon said, dressed as the Phantom of the Opera with a mask covering only half of his face and dragging some poor girl in a Victorian dress behind him.

“Oh God, this isn’t happening,” Kyungsoo said, staring wide-eyed at this unforeseen encounter.

“This is Kyungsoo,” Junmyeon said with excitement to the girl, and then he introduced her to Kyungsoo. “This is my girlfriend, Irene.”

“I’m so happy to finally meet you,” Irene said, and Kyungsoo was a little confused, but he smiled at her. “Junmyeon talks about you all the time. He really admires your acting.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s great too,” Kyungsoo said, noticing Taeyong looking between all of them in slight confusion and great interest. But before he could introduce him, Irene continued on.

“I just want to thank you,” she said to Kyungsoo. “Junmyeon always comes home from auditions feeling a bit down when he’s not sure if he got the part right away, but ever since he’s met you, he comes home excited and optimistic. This industry is so hard, and people are so fake, so I’m so happy he’s made a real friend like you.”

Kyungsoo was flabbergasted, and it took him a moment to utter a word as he saw Junmyeon beaming proudly at him. No, not proudly, more like thrilled that he had run into him.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, finally able to formulate words. “Junmyeon’s great,” he said again, still off-balance from being called his friend. “And he was great on that show,” he thought to say as he struggled for something to say that made sense. He looked at Junmyeon and said, “You really were the perfect bartender. I watched it and was so happy you got the part. I mean, of course, you got the part. Ha.” Kyungsoo was going to die. What was this?

“I knew I had it too,” Junmyeon said as if some weird synchronicity had happened between them.

“He really was a great bartender,” Irene said.

“Hi, I’m Taeyong,” Taeyong finally introduced himself, and Kyungsoo was officially the worst boyfriend ever.

“I’m so sorry,” Kyungsoo said quickly. “This is my acting… friend, Junmyeon.” Junmyeon beamed at this, and Kyungsoo really did feel like he was in an alternate universe. “And this is my boyfriend, Taeyong.”

“I knew you were gay,” Junmyeon said, pointing at him and proud of himself. “Just like I knew you were a Capricorn. I’m so good at this.”

“Yeah, you are,” Kyungsoo played along, not sure what else to do.

Then Junmyeon looked at Taeyong for a moment and snapped his fingers, “You’re a Cancer.”

Taeyong’s eyes went wide and he nodded, “I am. Not that I really believe in astrology, but…”

“Oh, Junmyeon is so good at it,” Irene told him. “He’ll make you a believer. He reads my tarot cards for me every month and they’re always accurate.”

“Every month, wow,” Kyungsoo said, and Taeyong said “wow” as well. And then Kyungsoo asked Junmyeon, “How did you get an invite to this? Just out of curiosity.”

“My agent hooked me up,” Junmyeon said, his ego on full display. “He knows someone who knows someone. What about you?”

“I know someone who knows someone,” Kyungsoo said, and Taeyong looked at him intrigued by his lie.

“This is such a great party,” Junmyeon stated as he looked around, “Did you walk the red carpet? I did. I’m putting all the pictures on my social media feeds first thing in the morning.”

“No, I came in through the side entrance,” Kyungsoo informed him, which he should’ve lied about.

Junmyeon made a _tsk tsk_ sound and shook his head at him, “You’re doing it wrong. You have to be your own publicist these days. Hollywood 101: Whenever there’s a red carpet, always walk it.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Kyungsoo said, and then he pretended to see someone he knew and said, “Oh, I have to go talk to that person. It was great running into you guys.”

“Yes!” Irene said, “So great to meet you. We’ll have to do dinner sometime.”

“Yeah, sounds great,” Kyungsoo said, waving to them as he already had started walking away.

Taeyong was nice enough to wait until they were clear across the room and out of Junmyeon’s field of vision before asking, “What was that about?”

“You don’t want to know,” Kyungsoo lamented, but he told Taeyong all about it as they drank a bit while resting from all the dancing.

Taeyong found the whole thing amusing and told him, “He seems like he genuinely wants to be your friend though. Some people are just a bit much, but they’re good people on the inside. Plus, his girlfriend was really beautiful.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, quirking an eyebrow, “Is she your girl-type?”

“Maybe,” Taeyong teased, giving him a funny little smile.

“Then we’re not doing dinner with them,” Kyungsoo stated, and Taeyong laughed and gave him a kiss for his playful jealousy.

After they had rested enough, they got back on the dance floor, and Kyungsoo was excited to have found Jongdae again, even though he was jumping and flailing his arms around off-beat. Kyungsoo had to take a moment to understand what was happening, laughing until he realized that Jongdae usually kept better time than that.

“How much has he had to drink already?” Kyungsoo asked Wendy, who stood beside Kyungsoo watching Jongdae also confused.

“A lot actually,” Wendy admitted. “And he was doing other stuff with your other friends.”

It took him a minute to realize what other stuff with other friends meant, and then his eyes went wide as he said, “Oh.”

“This song is great!” Jongdae said, jumping up and down to a song that didn’t really require jumping up and down, and Kyungsoo reached out to him to grab his arm and calm him down.

“Hey, let’s go get some water,” Kyungsoo told him, and Jongdae followed along happily, chanting something about getting water.

Kyungsoo wasn’t the greatest at dealing with situations like this, and he really wished Jongin was around, but he hadn’t really seen Jongin at all since the party had started. There wasn’t really a table or anything to sit at anywhere on the main floor, so Kyungsoo just had Jongdae lean against the wall near the bar as he got him his water.

“Is he alright?” Taeyong asked him, coming to the bar with him as Wendy stood with Jongdae.

“Yeah, I think he’s just really high right now,” Kyungsoo said, taking out his phone to text Baekhyun, thinking he’d know how to handle this better. He just had to hope that Baekhyun checked his messages.

He got a cup of water from the bartender and took it over to Jongdae to drink.

“You’re sweating a lot, so I think you need to calm down a bit,” Kyungsoo told him when Jongdae looked confused by being handed the water.

“Oh, thanks,” Jongdae said, happily downing it in one guzzle.

“Maybe we should get him outside for some fresh air,” Taeyong suggested, and Kyungsoo agreed, taking Jongdae’s hand to lead him back out the side entrance.

The cool air felt amazing after the heat of all the bodies inside, and the subdued sounds from the club was a mental break that Kyungsoo didn’t even realize he needed.

Jongdae started laughing and stretched his arms out, letting his head lean back as he looked up at the night sky.

“This feels amazing,” he said.

“It does,” Kyungsoo said with a small chuckle, and he decided to imitate him, putting his arms out and looking up.

“Yep, definitely taking a picture of this ridiculous scene,” Taeyong said, and Kyungsoo laughed, but kept his position until the picture had been taken.

“Did you lose the rest of your angels?” Taeyong then asked Wendy.

“They had said they were going to dance, but I haven’t seen them in a while,” Wendy answered. “I figured they were having fun.”

“They probably are,” Kyungsoo agreed, now that he was done imitating Jongdae and had dropped his arms to the side to face them. “Joy seemed less freaked out as the night went on.”

“She’ll probably have nightmares,” Wendy said, and Kyungsoo smiled at the joke, happy that Wendy was playing along. But then Wendy looked back at Jongdae, who was doing arm circles for some reason, and then looked back at Kyungsoo. “He never used to get like this, but then I realized that I never did things like this with you guys. Is this normal?”

“It’s…” Kyungsoo paused, having to think about that for a moment. “It’s both normal and not normal,” was the best he could do to answer that question.

“I mean,” Wendy said, thinking about it, “I know he’s always been a thrill-seeker. I remember he told me once that he wanted to jump out of a plane for his twenty-first birthday.”

Kyungsoo chuckled at that, nodding. “Yeah, that. And he also gets caught up in the moment a lot. He likes to go with the flow. So, if everyone’s doing something, he’ll do it too. We just never had these many options of things to do until we started hanging out with Jennie and her friends.”

“They’re an interesting group,” Wendy said, crossing her arms as she felt a chill, and Kyungsoo took off his apron and handed it to her so she could wrap it around her shoulders. “Thanks,” she said.

“Yeah, they’ve taken some getting used to,” Kyungsoo agreed. “But they’re fun.”

“I think they’re a bit extreme myself,” Taeyong told Wendy, who smiled at him and nodded.

“That would be the right word,” Wendy said, and she looked at Kyungsoo, taking a moment, then asking, “I noticed Jongdae kept looking at one of the girls throughout the night, and she kept looking at him. The green vampire. They kept smiling at each other, but I don’t remember her from his birthday party.”

Oh shit, no. Why had she noticed that? Kyungsoo tried to not look panicked but then realized that, while he was a good actor, he wasn’t a good actor when it came to real-life things.

“I’m going to go take Jongdae for a walk to help him burn some of this off,” Taeyong said, excusing himself from the situation in a very smooth way, and in the process, moving Jongdae out of earshot as well.

“When I told him about the pregnancy,” Wendy soldiered on, “he had told me that he was seeing someone else. Is that her?”

Kyungsoo cleared his throat and gave a single nod.

“Her name is Lisa,” Kyungsoo informed her. “And yes, she and Jongdae were dating when you gave him the news.”

Wendy bit her lip and nodded to herself, “I figured. They seem to really still like each other.”

“This is actually the first time they’ve seen each other since he had to break things off with her,” Kyungsoo let her know. “Jennie didn’t bother to invite her to his birthday party. I think they both may have been a bit nervous about running into each other tonight, but it seems like they were happy to see each other and see that the other was doing well.”

At least that had been his interpretation of it, but he had to admit that he hadn’t been paying as close attention to it as Wendy seemed to have been.

“Hm,” she said, as if having to think about this, and then she asked him, “Do you think he still has feelings for her?”

“I have no idea,” Kyungsoo said, honestly, but then he gave her a soft smile and said, “But I do know that he wanted to take his time and not rush into asking her to be his girlfriend, and I think that had a lot to do with the feelings he still had for you.”

“Yeah, right,” Wendy said, looking away and shaking her head. “The feelings that made him dump me?”

“No, not those, the other ones,” Kyungsoo said, not realizing how funny that sounded until she looked at him with the kind of look someone gives another person when they don’t appreciate their joke. “No, I’m serious. He did still have feelings for you, and he only broke up with you because he needed a break from you checking up on him all the time.”

“I’m sorry that I worried and checked up on him,” Wendy said, looking annoyed by this. “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to worry about my boyfriend.”

“It’s not…” Kyungsoo stopped himself, wishing he could explain it right. “You know, it was freshman year of college, and we were all getting our true taste of independence at that time. I think it may have just conflicted with a lot of new things Jongdae was experiencing. And you guys could only really see each other on the weekend, so I think, what he had previously found endearing, just started to feel at odds with his new reality.” Or something like that. The explanation had made more sense in his head.

Wendy, however, did seem to consider this, and she shrugged and said, “So maybe if I had been smart enough or rich enough to get into USC, it wouldn’t have happened because we wouldn’t have been apart and he wouldn’t have been finding this new independence of his.”

“I don’t think…” Kyungsoo didn’t think that assessment was quite right, or fair, but he wasn’t sure what part to tackle first. “I mean, you know, you not getting into USC had nothing to do with that. You’re smart, and they were stupid not to take you too.” Kyungsoo actually didn’t know how accurate that was, but he knew she wasn’t dumb. “And finding your independence is actually a good thing, right? Didn’t you feel like you grew in college, too?”

“You know I went to Fullerton,” Wendy said, blinking at him like he might be the dumb one. “It wasn’t far from where I lived. I didn’t really need to stay on campus and only did it to get the full college experience, which wasn’t really that full because I usually went home anyway. I didn’t really make any new friends, got dumped by my boyfriend, and found out I was pregnant a couple of weeks later. I spent the following semester scared and watching my grades drop because I couldn’t concentrate on school when I didn’t know what to do about the fact that I was pregnant and couldn’t tell anyone and didn’t know what to do about it. So, no, I didn’t have this grand independence moment that you guys did.”

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo said, mostly because he didn’t know what else to say. “That really sucks.”

“You know what the worst part was?” Wendy continued, looking off toward a couple of tents across the street where some homeless people had sheltered for the night. “I always knew I wasn’t on his level.”

“Don’t say that,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head.

“It’s true,” Wendy said, looking back at him. “I wasn’t stupid. I knew Seulgi was right when she said that Jongdae was bored at church and just wanted someone to keep him entertained.”

“That’s definitely not true,” Kyungsoo said, feeling annoyed at Seulgi all over again. “Jongdae really liked you.”

“I believe that too,” Wendy told him. “I believe that both things co-existed. And now, having to deal with his family as much as I have to, I know it’s true. He needed something to help him through those long days at church, and he did like me enough to ask me out. But at the end of the day, I was a simple girl from your average middle-class family. Part of why I applied to USC was because I knew that if I didn’t, he would get in and find himself surrounded by girls that were rich and privileged, just like him. And he would find a girl that was more on his level and his parents would have approved of.”

“They approve of you,” Kyungsoo reasoned with her.

“They think I trapped him,” Wendy told him, the look on her face not allowing him to counter. “I overheard them arguing about it when we were first dealing with all of this. They don’t think I’m good enough for him, and they think I set this all up for the money.”

“Jongdae’s parents are assholes,” Kyungsoo said, feeling awful for her and now getting a sense of why she hadn’t been able to pull herself out of the slump she had found herself in. “I’ve always thought that, but ever since this all happened, they keep proving it more and more.”

“My parents have lost a lot of respect for them since this all happened,” Wendy said. “Do you know that Jongdae’s father told him that marrying me didn’t mean he had to lose his new girlfriend? Even with marrying me, they still want him to have someone they approve of for him to be with, probably in hopes that he divorces me and marries the other person. I’ve accepted that he’ll probably always have someone on the side.”

“That’s shitty of his dad, but you couldn’t be more wrong,” Kyungsoo let her know. “First of all, he didn’t meet anyone at USC that he wanted to date. He met Lisa at Jongin’s birthday party, and she doesn’t even go to college. She’s a professional dancer like Jongin is. And Jongdae didn’t know if she was rich or poor when he asked her out. He just knew that he thought she was nice and pretty. Give your husband a little more credit.”

Wendy bit her lip again and looked toward Jongdae, who did seem calmer now as he laughed with Taeyong about something.

“And you know,” Kyungsoo decided to add, “Maybe give yourself a little more credit too. He’ll probably kick my ass for telling you this, but I’m tired of hearing Jongdae complain about how he hasn’t gotten laid in forever. He ended things with Lisa to be with you, and he married you and has honored that commitment. He had plenty of excuses to cheat on you already, and he hasn’t even thought about it once. And you know why? Because you’re smart, talented, pretty, and super nice, or at least used to be nice. And, you’re a great mom to Hannah. Those are all things that I know for a fact Jongdae really likes about you, so let him. Stop making it so hard for him and just let him like you. You deserve to be liked, and he deserves to be liked too for still being who he’s always been, even with all the changes and independence and crazy new friends in his life.”

Wendy looked like maybe her eyes had gotten a little moist, and she turned away from him, taking a few steps as she took deep breaths.

Kyungsoo didn’t bother to follow or say anything. He said what he had to say, and he felt that he did understand better where a lot of her bitterness had come from. It hadn’t occurred to Kyungsoo before that Wendy hadn’t felt she was on the same level as Jongdae, and he realized that there was a lot about Wendy he didn’t really know, so he decided that he needed to back off and stop judging her so harshly for things, even if he hated how she had been treating Jongdae these last several months.

A moment later, Baekhyun came hurrying out from the exit and spotted them, looking concerned.

“I just got your message,” he said, “Where’s Dae? Is he okay?”

“I think he’s better now,” Kyungsoo said, looking at where Jongdae and Taeyong still stood. “The fresh air may have helped him.”

“Good thinking,” Baekhyun said.

Taeyong noticed that Baekhyun had arrived and guided Jongdae back to them, who instantly got excited and hugged Baekhyun.

“I’ve missed you!” Jongdae said while laughing.

“I’ve missed you too,” Baekhyun said with his own laugh, pulling back to take him in and look at his eyes before breathing out a sigh of relief that made Kyungsoo let out one of his own. “Stop partying so hard without me. You know I can’t keep up.”

“I was trying to keep up with Rosé,” Jongdae said, and Baekhyun told him that that had been his first mistake.

Lucas came out just then and looked at them with large eyes as he asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Taeyong assured him.

Lucas put his hand over his bare chest and said, “Oh thank goodness.”

“Wait, what’s wrong?” Jongdae asked them, now looking concerned, “What’s going on?”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help himself from snickering at the question, which created a domino effect as everyone laughed. Even Wendy giggled, which was good to see. Kyungsoo certainly didn’t want her to feel bad the whole night about everything they had talked about.

They headed back inside, hitting the dance floor together, which was hilarious now that Lucas had joined them since he was holding hands with Jongdae as they jumped around together and acted silly. Seulgi and Joy found them at some point, and Kyungsoo wished Jongin was there too so that they could all dance together and have fun. And yeah, a part of him wished that Yixing could dance with them, and a bigger part of him wished that Chanyeol was with them too, but Kyungsoo couldn’t deny that he was having a great time, nevertheless.

When they headed back to VIP to take a break, Kyungsoo made sure to keep Jongdae by his side so that he didn’t run over to Rosé for whatever crazy thing she was doing next. He drank water and noticed that Yixing was sitting in their neighboring area next to Sehun, but he was talking animatedly with one of Chanyeol’s sorority girls. At least that’s what he called Nayeon and Sana and their friends now that they had multiplied.

It warmed him to see Yixing laughing, the creases in his eyes as he smiled, the dimples out in full force. He was having a great time, and Kyungsoo felt he had done well. So he turned his attention to Taeyong, letting his fingers play with the strands of his hair at the nape of his neck, and he asked him, “Are you having fun?”

“I am,” Taeyong told him, smiling at him. “Are you?”

“I am,” Kyungsoo replied, “I might be a little drunk though. I don’t normally get drunk, but I’m feeling lazy and like there’s a dumb smile on my face.”

“That perfectly describes how you look right now,” Taeyong said with a chuckle. “My drunk chef. What am I going to do with you?”

“Anything you want,” Kyungsoo told him, and Taeyong gave him a smirk, but then laughed, holding his hand and rubbing his thumb over it.

“We can go back to your place, right?” Taeyong asked him. “Jennie didn’t really intend for us to stay in those suites, did she?”

“She did,” Kyungsoo let him know. “For the afterparty.”

“How can there be an afterparty?” Taeyong whined. “I just want to go home and kiss my drunk boyfriend in peace.”

“No rest for the wicked,” Kyungsoo told him, but he gave him a little peck on the lips for the cute pout he now had.

At some point in the evening, the DJ announced that there would be a parade of costumes and that a special panel had been set up to judge the best ones for prizes. Among the special panel was a fashion editor for some big fashion magazine, two Instagram fashion influencers, one makeup tutorial YouTube star, and, of course, Jennie.

Kyungsoo had a lot of fun watching the parade of costumes along with everyone else. They had the best unobstructed view of it from their couches in VIP, but Kyungsoo still stood and leaned on the railing to watch.

“Possessed girl with the demonic teddy bear should win this,” Jongdae pointed out as a creepy girl walked down the catwalk.

“I’m going to have nightmares,” Joy remarked.

“Yes, Lucas, you show them how it’s done!” Baekhyun yelled out as Lucas walked the catwalk in his shirtless fallen angel costume.

Kyungsoo cheered for him as well, along with the crowd who really loved and appreciated Lucas’ costume as well.

“Making us Lambdas proud,” Baekhyun said, and then he looked around, “Speaking of, did we lose Kris and Logan?”

“Logan’s been hanging out with his girlfriend most of the night,” Kyungsoo told him. “No idea what happened to Kris. Maybe he went to join them.”

“Hey, look, Joy,” Baekhyun then said, “Someone invited the Pope! This event has been blessed. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Oh my God,” Taeyong said, shocked at the costume being worn on the walkway right at that moment.

“That should win,” Kyungsoo declared. It was a wrap as far as he was concerned.

“I’m dressing up as the Pope next year!” Jongdae proclaimed.

“Where did they even find that costume?” Seulgi wondered as she took her phone out to zoom in and take a picture.

“They probably made it themselves,” Wendy reasoned.

The spectacle continued, with some costumes being really creepy, others being funny, and some just incredibly done in their artistry, but in the end, the Pope really couldn’t be beaten—winning the grand prize.

As it hit 2 a.m., they started taking rides back to the hotel so that they could continue with the afterparty, and for Kyungsoo, the best part was being able to take his apron and headband off and letting his hair down, quite literally.

He was grateful that Jennie had thought to make sure the main suite was stocked with food, and Kyungsoo grabbed the first taco he saw and stuffed it in his mouth before he even got himself a plate.

“Now this is my kind of party,” Taeyong said, stacking up his plate to the max.

Kyungsoo had to agree, and he grabbed a soda and went to go sit next to Sehun, who had gotten there earlier with Johnny and Yixing and had an already empty plate on his lap.

“You guys were smart,” Kyungsoo told him.

“I was starving too much to wait,” Sehun told him. “As soon as Rosé let me know that the catering had delivered all the food to the suites, we left.”

“You could’ve told the rest of us,” Taeyong told him, sitting beside Kyungsoo. “I was ready to leave a long time ago.”

“Next time,” Sehun assured him.

“I didn’t think I wanted to leave,” Yixing then mentioned, “It was an incredible party. But as soon as I took a bite of the taco, I realized that I had been wrong.”

“Exactly that,” Johnny agreed.

Their attention then suddenly turned toward the entrance where there was a big commotion, and all of a sudden Rosé announced her arrival in a way that made it obvious she was in a different plane of existence than they were.

Kyungsoo watched as Shay tried to get her to calm down, and then pulled her toward the bedroom suite, looking annoyed by it all. Jennie came in right after laughing, and Kyungsoo was oddly happy to finally see Jongin appear again, who looked amused but very worn out.

He motioned him over, holding up his plate of tacos to let him know that he’d feed him so that he didn’t have to worry about getting any for himself at the moment.

Jongin collapsed onto the couch, right in between Sehun and Kyungsoo, and rested his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“I need to sleep for ten days to recover from all this,” Jongin told him.

“Here, eat,” Kyungsoo told him, feeding him one of the tacos so that Jongin could take a bite. “I didn’t even see you the whole night. I thought the vampires had kidnapped you.”

“The queen vampire kidnapped me,” Jongin lamented. “I had to meet so many people. Why are there so many people in the world?”

“I’ve always wondered that myself,” Kyungsoo agreed, feeding him more taco. “I’m assuming this suite is the after-party suite and the other suite is the suite to pass out in, right? I say, after you eat, just go over there and pass out.”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Jongin said, eating while keeping his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

Kyungsoo then looked up in time to see Chanyeol coming in with his arm around Sana, who looked like she was helping to keep him standing up straight as he laughed about something. She deposited him onto the couches on the other side of the suite, where Lisa and Jisoo were with Chanyeol’s friend Minseok. Chanyeol seemed happy to see them, and he gave Jisoo a big hug, which made Jisoo yell out to Sana to grab a bottle of water for him.

“Where’d Dae go?” Jongin asked, getting Kyungsoo’s attention back to him and away from Chanyeol.

“Oh, he had to go home since they have to drive down to the OC tomorrow in the morning,” Kyungsoo told him. “They’re going to take Hannah out trick or treating for her first Halloween, remember?”

“Shit, I forgot we were supposed to go with them,” Jongin said.

“We’ll be fine,” Kyungsoo told him. “We don’t have to get there until later and after we sleep in and recover. I don’t know how Jongdae is going to recover in time, but we’ll be good.”

Jongin’s eyes looked sobered by this, and he asked, “Did he get fucked up again tonight?”

“Yeah, it was pretty bad,” Kyungsoo told him. “I had to get him outside for fresh air. Wendy made a comment about it too. Actually, remind me to tell you tomorrow about the conversation I had with her.”

“As if I’m going to remember to remind you about anything after tonight,” Jongin snorted. “But okay.”

Kyungsoo chuckled at that, knowing all too well that it would be a miracle if any part of his brain worked this week after tonight’s events.

Taeyong and he did finally make it to the other suite, which wasn’t as conducive to making out before sleeping as they had hoped since other people were already in there doing that or actually sleeping, so instead, Taeyong suggested they just head home.

Kyungsoo liked that idea, until Chanyeol walked in with Sana, able to walk better now and on his own. “Actually,” he said instead, “I think I’m too tired to leave. Let’s just grab a sleeping bag from the corner and pass out.”

Taeyong relented, yawning as he went to grab two from the many that Jennie had made sure to be stocked for the night. It had been a cute idea on her part to set up the second suite as a camping scenario, and Kyungsoo took off his shirt so that he could better snuggle into the sleeping bag, cuddling up to Taeyong as much as he could in his.

But the moment of sleep had passed him, and Kyungsoo found himself staring off in thought instead, listening to the sounds around him and realizing that the sound he was mostly trying to listen out for was that of Chanyeol.

“You awake?” he heard, and it was Chanyeol’s voice whispering. It sounded close, and Kyungsoo shifted to look over his shoulder, noticing that Chanyeol was sitting on the floor, not far from him, staring at him.

Kyungsoo nodded, and Chanyeol smiled and motioned for him to follow him. He was sure this was a dream, and one to always follow his dreams, Kyungsoo got out of his sleeping bag and pulled his shirt back on, following Chanyeol out of the suite and then to the elevator.

“Am I dreaming right now?” Kyungsoo asked him. This felt real, but it was so random, and he really had gotten a bit drunk, so he couldn’t be sure.

“I don’t think so,” Chanyeol said, his husky chuckle also sounding very real.

He followed him into the elevator, and then Chanyeol pressed the button for the rooftop pool area. Kyungsoo smiled, loving this idea already, whatever it was.

There was no one around, and the pool technically wasn’t open, but they walked over to one of the cabanas that faced the pool and lied down beside each other on the daybed that was in it.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Kyungsoo asked him, laying on his side to face him better and talk to him, and Chanyeol did the same, his arm under the pillow that was helping to prop his head up.

“I did,” Chanyeol told him. “I think I got a bit too drunk though.”

“I think I did too,” Kyungsoo said with a chuckle.

“It was that kind of party,” Chanyeol told him, and then he reached out to touch Kyungsoo’s hair and smooth it down, which felt like the best feeling in the world right at that moment. It was comforting and gentle. “I couldn’t get over how good you looked in your costume.”

“I couldn’t get over how great of a body you have to pull off that Spiderman costume,” Kyungsoo admitted.

“It’s only because I’ve started getting back in shape for the season,” Chanyeol humbly said, not stopping his exploration or smoothing of Kyungsoo’s hair.

Kyungsoo wanted to touch Chanyeol too, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment or make him conscious of what he was doing, so instead he just lay there with him, taking him in and the way his lips were swollen.

“Did you spend a lot of the night kissing Sana?” he asked and then wished he hadn’t by the way Chanyeol’s eyes widened a little. “Your lips are swollen,” Kyungsoo clarified.

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, and he chuckled, which made Kyungsoo feel less anxious about having asked. “I did a lot of kissing tonight, I guess. Didn’t you?”

“A little, not as much,” Kyungsoo admitted. “I think we spent most of our time dancing.”

“If I had been your date tonight,” Chanyeol then said, “We would’ve spent most of our time kissing instead of dancing.”

A shiver went up Kyungsoo’s spine at the comment, and when he didn’t answer right away, Chanyeol must have felt self-conscious because he said, “I just mean because that’s what I was doing.”

“I wish you had been my date then,” Kyungsoo said quickly before he could continue to feel self-conscious about it.

Chanyeol blinked at the comment and then smiled, letting his fingers trail down from Kyungsoo’s hair to his shoulder before he let his large hand rest on Kyungsoo’s arm. It was the perfect warmth that he needed in that cool, autumn night at such a higher altitude, and Kyungsoo didn’t stop himself from cuddling in closer to Chanyeol, explaining “you’re warm, and I’m cold” when Chanyeol looked at him in surprise.

Chanyeol seemed to understand this though, pulling him in even closer as he wrapped his arms around him. Slowly, as they lay there saying nothing for a moment, Kyungsoo could sense the early morning glow of the sunrise start to envelop them, and he tilted his head to look at the incredible view from the roof.

Chanyeol turned his head as well, and they watched the sunrise for a moment before Kyungsoo realized that they probably shouldn’t get caught up there like this.

“I should probably get back down to the suite,” Kyungsoo said, though it was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. “Before Taeyong wakes up.”

“Same,” Chanyeol said, but neither of them budged, and then Chanyeol took out his phone and set an alarm for two hours from then. “But first, let’s get some sleep.”

Kyungsoo let out a small laugh at this logic, but nestled into him anyway, falling asleep in the warmth of Chanyeol’s arms in no time at all.


	19. Chapter 19

There was very little in life that could compare to the feeling that enveloped Jongin when he was on stage, and even though he wasn’t the center of attention, the energy of the crowd, the screams, cheers, and applause still fueled him and caused an unrivaled current to flow through him. But then Summer had done him a huge favor and given him a moment to truly shine during her show, letting him do a solo stage as she switched costumes, and that was the moment where Jongin reached another plane, the moment when the attention was on him, and the energy and applause were all his.

It wasn’t surprising then that when the show was over, he had a hard time figuring out what to do with all the energy. Lucky for him, so did everyone else, so, during the first stop of the promo tour, it had become tradition for Summer, the dancers, and her manager to find a 24-hour diner where they could eat, be loud and obnoxious, and keep the party going. But it was only a matter of time before this backfired on all of them.

_Is our Teen Queen Jennie Kim’s boyfriend cheating with New Pop Princess Summer Kyle?_

Had Jongin really thought about it, he would have realized earlier that the night of the Halloween party so many months ago would change things forever. Even while the party had been happening, too many people had been too interested, too excited, too invested. The day after the party, the celebrity programs and gossip blogs couldn’t stop covering it and talking about it, and overnight Jennie had gone from being the cool social media influencer to the queen teen, or teen queen depending on the publication, who had taken over the world if her sudden skyrocketing amount of followers on her social media accounts were to be considered.

And Jongin had simply become the Teen Queen’s boyfriend or Jennie Kim’s boyfriend.

_Shocking photos of Summer Kyle and Jennie Kim’s boyfriend!_

“They need to start using your name in these headlines,” Jonghee said on the phone, exasperated as she looked through the latest news items.

Jongin chewed on his croissant in the hotel dining area where he was eating his continental breakfast and hoped that this would all just blow over. The last thing he needed in his career was for people to dislike him because they thought he was cheating on their new favorite celeb.

“I think it’s good that they don’t,” he remarked, using a fork to cut his banana into pieces. “This isn’t considered good press for me.”

“People are intrigued,” Jonghee explained, “But don’t worry about it. Jennie posted a photo on her Instagram of her and Summer from the Halloween party with some caption about strong women always support each other or something.”

Jongin thought about this and then said, “So, I should post something too, right?”

“You could,” Jonghee said, “But you want to be careful to not make the situation worse. What were you thinking of posting?”

“I don’t know,” Jongin said, eating his banana slices in thought. “But since she did, I probably should too.”

“Well give it some thought and run it by me before you post it,” Jonghee told him. “I have to run to a meeting, but make sure and bring me back something nice from New York.”

“Oh, weird, where did all this static come from? I’ll have to hang up, sorry couldn’t hear you, bye.” Jongin hung up, smiling at her laugh, and thinking that he really missed her. In fact, he missed all of his family members and his friends.

Which seemed weird given that he’d only been gone for a week and would be heading back in a couple of days after all of Summer’s promo was done in New York. But it was the longest he’d ever been away from home, and he now knew what homesickness was and how very real it was. He wondered if he was really cut out for a real tour if the opportunity presented itself.

He looked back at all the links that Jonghee had sent him that morning.

_Queen Teen Jennie Kim in boyfriend feud with our new fave Summer Kyle._

_Jennie vs. Summer: Who will win in the boyfriend war?_

_Jennie Kim stuns in Versace at Gala Amidst Cheating Scandal_

Jongin really couldn’t get over how obnoxious this all was, and it bothered him so much that he had to put his phone down for a moment and try and focus on eating his food and clearing his mind a little. What made the whole thing even more ridiculous were the pictures they were using for these nonsensical stories. All of the backup dancers were in the picture with her, and while, yes, he was one of the dancers and the only male dancer sitting beside her, the pictures were of them laughing and talking while eating burgers and drinking milkshakes.

As far as cheating scandals went, this was a Disney version at best. And it wasn’t even a scandal to begin with. What he hated the most about it was that it made things awkward for his and Summer’s professional relationship. How was he supposed to act like her leading man when people thought he actually was? It made him uncomfortable, and it broke the fourth wall. Everything about it was so annoying that he wished it would just go away.

But he knew that Jennie was loving the attention, and he knew that it was doing wonders for Summer’s promotion. He just hoped it didn’t get brought up to her on _The Today Show_ , which he realized they’d have to leave for soon.

He finished eating and headed back up to his hotel room that he was sharing with one of the other male dancers. Luckily, he had just gotten out of the shower, so Jongin jumped in to take his, and it was as he thought about the routine and how he had to make sure to hit everything right for the cameras that an idea for an Instagram post came to him.

He finished up his shower and stepped out, finding his phone to fire off his idea to his sister, then using the time it took for her to reply to finish getting ready. He got the OK from her just as he was heading down to the lobby, and once he was in the van with the rest of the dancers, he worked on his Instagram post, choosing the best picture out of all the ones the paparazzi had taken and crafting his words carefully before pressing send.

_When you can’t have a burger and a shake with your boss without anyone getting the wrong idea because of the unfair societal expectations of men and women who work together. How about we stop perpetuating outdated stereotypes for clicks and focus instead on the amazing performance Summer Kyle is going to give on The Today Show this morning._

After he sent it, he put his phone away to close his eyes and rest his mind to prepare for the performance on the show, but that idea was short-lived as he got hit on the arm by his fellow dancer who was sitting next to him.

“Dude, this statement is badass,” he said, and Jongin blinked then realized he was talking about his post. “I just want everyone to know that I was sitting beside him when he wrote this,” he then yelled out at the rest of the van.

“This is so good,” one of the female dancers sitting behind him said, patting his shoulder.

The compliments continued coming from the others in the van, and Jongin felt shy as his cheeks warmed a little.

“Thanks, guys,” he told them, and he pulled out his phone from his pocket again to see that it had blown up with messages.

_Jennie: I love you so fucking much for this post. I reposted it in my instastory with the caption “THIS!” Break a leg today, babe. I’ve already got the TV on!_

_Jongdae: I raised you so right._

_Kyungsoo: Why do you sound like you went to college?_

_Baekhyun: You tell them!_

_Rosé: Wait, so you’re not banging Summer Kyle?_

_Jisoo: Well written. Break a leg today._

_Lisa: Love your post. It’s so good and thoughtful. Break a leg!_

_Jonghee: Nicely done. Social media is eating it up and most of them are in love with it and changing their tune to #boyfriendgoals._

_Summer: Can I add publicist to your list of duties?_

Jongin chuckled at that one and replied to Summer with a simple “no.”

They arrived at the studio and were ushered into the green room to get ready, Jongin running through the choreography as he waited for their turn to perform. He watched the show as it was broadcast in the room and felt relieved when the correspondents didn’t ask Summer any questions about the rumors during her interview.

It helped him feel relaxed by the time they were told to get on set, and Jongin ended up giving it his all, not missing a beat or a step as they got through the performance and were rewarded with enthusiastic applause by the small audience they had allowed inside.

Summer’s schedule was packed after that, with radio performances and press meetings, and Jongin had the rest of the day off to explore New York City and find souvenirs for his friends and family. It was while he was looking at NYC magnets that he got a text from the most unexpected person.

_Krystal: So you’re in town. Want to meet up for an early dinner?_

It had been in the back of his mind that Krystal lived there, and he did wonder if he’d accidentally run into her somewhere. New York City was large in its population, but the size itself was small enough for a possible coincidental meeting to happen. He had wondered what he’d do if he ran into her, and now he didn’t have to wonder anymore.

_Jongin: Sure. Tell me where._

Where ended up being a lively Thai restaurant with a happening bar scene as Jongin walked in and took in the young professional crowd that was gathered around and chattering loudly. He had beat Krystal there by a few minutes, which gave him a chance to settle into the atmosphere of the place and calm his nerves down a bit, even though what he had to be nervous about he wasn’t sure. They hadn’t ended on the worst terms or anything, but still, he hadn’t spoken to her in over a year.

When she arrived, Jongin’s face reacted almost instantly with a smile. Being in an unfamiliar city had made him grateful for the very familiar face. And she looked as classy and beautiful as always, her hair long and her outfit, after shrugging off her coat and turning it over to the coat check, modern, chic, dark-toned, and professional, fitting in well with the other people in the establishment.

Jongin was grateful that he had gone back to the hotel to dress up for the night, though he had discovered that the coat he had brought along with him wasn’t quite built for the New York City winter.

“Hey,” he said to her, and she smiled at him.

“Hey,” she said back, and then she looked at the hostess, giving her name for the reservation.

They were seated in a cozy table for two toward the back room, far from the loud noise of the bar, and Jongin wondered if Krystal had requested a quieter spot or if the hostess had assumed they were on a date and needed to be seated in a special place.

Either way, Jongin was grateful when Krystal told him, “You look great,” and he heard her just fine.

“So do you,” he told her, opening his menu while still looking at her. “You look very New York.”

“I haven’t changed,” Krystal mused as she opened her menu as well. “I still like to blend in.”

“Weird, you’ve always stood out to me,” he told her with a playful smirk, and Krystal gave him a look, the kind that told him to stop but that she appreciated the compliment just the same.

“So what’s good here?” he asked, looking over the menu.

“Everything,” she said. “You can’t go wrong. Just make sure and leave room for the coconut ice cream.”

They put their orders in and then Jongin took a long sip of his water before he asked Krystal, “So how have you been?”

“Good,” she told him, folding her cloth napkin then placing it on her lap. “Getting into the rhythm of this new semester.”

“How’s college life?” he asked, then picked up his water to take a drink from it again.

“It keeps me busy,” she said, and then cocked her head a little and said, “Though not as busy as you are probably. I saw you on _The Today Show_ this morning. That looked fun.”

“It was fun,” he confirmed with a chuckle. “We’re doing Fallon tomorrow.”

“How exciting,” she said in a tone that didn’t seem to be excited, but that’s just how Krystal was, and Jongin knew that she had meant it.

“It’s something,” he said, not sure how to explain it himself. “I’m a bit homesick though so I’ll be happy when this promo tour ends.”

“I get that,” she told him, and a soft smile appeared on her face. “I was fine the first semester of college, but by the second semester, after I had gone home to visit, I realized how much I had missed everyone.”

“Enough to transfer?” Jongin teased.

“No,” she said with a little chuckle. “I got back here and knew I was in the right place.”

Jongin gave her a big grin for that, then said, “I’m glad you’ve found the right place for you.”

“And it’s obvious that staying home was the right place for you,” she said, which made Jongin feel a little better about things. He knew that his decision to not follow her to New York had been what made him lose her, but she was right. It was what needed to have happened.

“I’m not courageous enough for New York,” he joked, tapping his fingers to his water glass as he watched her.

“I’m not sure ‘courageous’ would be the right word,” she said, watching him as well, looking as if thinking of how to bring something up, and Jongin steeled himself for it, knowing already what it would be. “I would think it takes courage to date someone like Jennie Kim.”

Yep, he had been right, and he gave her a smile.

“Definitely not the right word for that either,” he told her. They hadn’t talked since Jongin had started dating Jennie, but it wasn’t surprising that she’d be curious. “We were introduced and set up on a date by a mutual friend. I wasn’t sure about her at first. She was the exact opposite of you, so I didn’t think she was my type.”

“How long have you two been together?”

“We celebrated our one-year anniversary in December,” he informed her, not even believing it himself.

“Wow,” she said, looking a little surprised. “So maybe your type after all.”

Jongin chuckled and shook his head, then said, “I’m not sure about that. Maybe my type for this moment in my life.”

“So, you’re not in love with her,” Krystal pointed out, and Jongin wasn’t sure how to answer.

“I haven’t quite figured it out,” he said, maybe too honestly, then felt the need to explain, “Dating Jennie isn’t just dating Jennie. It’s also dating her momager and her crazy life, and sometimes it gets hard to distinguish what’s just ours and what’s part of everything else.”

“Sounds complicated,” she remarked, and Jongin shrugged.

“It is what it is,” he said, then decided to turn the topic onto her, “What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

“I’ve been dating here and there,” she said with her own shrug, “But haven’t found anyone I’m that interested in.”

“I see your standards are still high,” he joked and was glad when she chuckled.

“How are Kyungsoo and Jongdae doing?” she switched the topic, and Jongin was grateful for it, knowing that talking about relationships could get tricky.

“They’re doing well,” he told her, then pursed his lips to the side, “Well, as well as could be given the circumstances. I don’t know if you heard, but Jongdae had to get married and has a kid.”

“What?” Her eyes went so wide that Jongin realized she hadn’t heard after all.

“Yeah, it happened last year,” he explained. “It sucked. He had accidentally knocked up Wendy before they broke up but didn’t find out until five months later when she finally told him that she was five months pregnant.”

“Oh my God,” Krystal said, and she once again asked, “What?”

“It was a mess,” he told her. “It was awful because he was dating my friend Lisa at the time, and they were perfect together, so he had to break up with her to marry Wendy and try and make it work.”

“He had to?” Krystal asked disbelievingly. “Oh God, did his crazy parents force him to?”

“Kind of,” Jongin said, trying to remember how it went down. “It was more that he wanted to do the right thing, and his parents were going to make sure he did. Actually, his parents aren’t the biggest fans of Wendy, but you know, they have to protect the reputation of the church. It’s a mess, but they’re making it work, and Hannah is the cutest baby ever.”

He took his phone out of his pocket to pull up a picture of himself holding her.

“Oh my God,” Krystal said as she looked at the picture. “I mean, yes, she’s adorable, but I can’t believe Jongdae has a baby.”

“I can’t believe your parents didn’t tell you,” he then said. “I’m pretty sure my mom would’ve told them.”

“I can’t believe it either,” Krystal said, shaking her head. “Maybe they assumed I already knew. I’ll have to ask them.”

“Yeah, so that’s Jongdae,” Jongin said as he put his phone back in his pocket. “And Soo is doing pretty good. He filmed an independent movie and has an agent now. Oh, and he joined a frat.”

“What?” Krystal said, shocked all over again, and Jongin had to laugh out loud. “I leave and everyone goes crazy. Do you know that Luna eloped with some guy she met on Tinder and now grows pot in Colorado as a side-business while going to college?”

“What?” Jongin said, now the one to be shocked. “Luna?”

“Yeah, and Victoria dropped out of college after freshman year to travel around the world and go find herself. She was in India last I talked to her.”

“What?” Jongin said again, chuckling at all of this. “I’m now blaming all of this on you leaving.”

“Right?” she said, looking amused by it. “The only person who stayed the same was Amber. She’s still in LA, doing college and trying to make it as a rapper.”

“Speaking of Amber,” Jongin said, deciding to give her this update as well, “I don’t know if she told you, but Yixing’s back in town.”

“She did,” Krystal nodded, “She told me all about why, too. That’s really sad for him, and that his parents disowned him on top of that.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Jongin said, not looking too sympathetic, but Krystal knew why, and she gave him an understanding look.

“I take it, since you know, that he’s reached out to Kyungsoo.”

“Yep,” Jongin confirmed, picking up his glass to finish the water and grateful when it got refilled by one of the servers.

“Are they back together?” Krystal asked, and Jongin almost told her to take it back and not let the thought hang in the atmosphere.

“No,” Jongin said, his face showing how badly he needed that not to be true. “Soo has a boyfriend, thankfully, so that’s been the saving grace here. Also, he’s helplessly in love with someone else, who’s not his boyfriend, so that’s also helped. But he has decided to be friends with Yixing again, which, whatever. I’ll be there to pick up the pieces, etc.”

“Amber says he’s seemed to have changed a bit,” Krystal offered, but Jongin knew better than that.

“People don’t change. Sure, they might change when it comes to some things because of life, but their inner core doesn’t change.”

“Yixing’s biggest issue was not acknowledging who he was, but he acknowledges that now,” Krystal pointed out. “That’s significant.”

“Right,” Jongin nodded, “But I’m not talking about those types of things. I’m talking about who he is as a person. Like Jongdae is now a father and a husband but he is still 1000% Jongdae. As crazy as their decisions may have been, I’m sure Luna is still Luna, and Victoria is still Victoria. Yixing’s out of the closet now, cool, but he’s still Yixing. Being in the closet was not an excuse to treat Kyungsoo like shit.”

“I mean, sure,” Krystal appeased him, “Yixing was always a dick, even before he and Kyungsoo started getting really serious. But I think a lot of that may have been because he was in the closet, and I think I get why Kyungsoo would want to try and get to know him now that he’s out of it. If it turns out that Yixing is still a dick to him, then I’m sure Kyungsoo will move on for good.”

“And I’ll be there to pick up the pieces,” Jongin reiterated again, grateful when the food came out.

They spent the rest of dinner continuing to catch up, Jongin telling her more about his new life as a celebrity’s boyfriend, and Krystal telling him about how much she was enjoying college and New York. By the time they were done and finishing off the coconut ice cream that he had made sure to leave room for, they decided that there were no hard feelings for each other and that they were generally happy for each other in their new lives, so they decided to keep in touch and promised each other they’d let each other know when one of their friends did another crazy thing.

Jongin took a taxi back to the hotel, hurrying inside to get out of the cold. Even though he didn’t have to worry about Fallon until later in the day, his modeling agent had booked him a photo shoot that morning and then interviews with a couple of different dance sites that wanted to do features on him.

Once he was comfortably in bed, he checked his messages and called Jennie back, missing her voice and general presence.

“Hey!” she said as soon as she picked up. “You were amazing today! Ask me how many times I’ve watched the performance?”

Jongin chuckled and played along, “How many times have you watched the performance?”

“I’ve lost count,” she said, giggling, and wow, Jongin really missed her even more all of a sudden.

“So, you have it memorized to the point where if I make a mistake on Fallon tomorrow you’ll notice,” he teased.

“I will totally notice,” she said, with a taunting laugh.

He settled in better to talk to her, to ask her about her day and admit he was a bit homesick so that she would tell him more about everything going on over there, and when she asked him how New York was, he decided to let her know about his dinner, which made Jennie go silent.

“She texted me saying she knew I was in town and asked if I wanted to join her for dinner,” he explained, feeling the need to let her know everything possible so there was no misunderstanding. “I haven’t talked to her really since our breakup, so we caught up and I told her about Jongdae being a dad now, which she couldn’t believe. She told me things about her friends, which I couldn’t believe. It was nice to catch up, and we decided that we’d both moved on enough to be friends again.”

“How nice,” Jennie said, and her upbeat demeanor had completely disappeared.

“It was,” Jongin said, and he added, “But not as nice as when I get back home and can finally be eating dinner with you instead.” He knew she needed to hear it, but it was the truth as well.

“Speaking of dinners,” she said instead, “don’t forget that we’re attending that production company’s Oscar party at Soho House the day after you get back.”

Jongin groaned, “Do I really have to go?”

But Jennie ignored him and continued on, “And Rosé’s birthday party is the following weekend. Did you get her anything yet? She might like something from New York.”

“Like a fake college transcript to show her parents?” Jongin attempted to joke, knowing full well that Jennie was upset by the way she was focusing on work-related things.

“Also, maybe you can get Wendy something nice since her birthday is the week or so after,” Jennie carried on. “Has Jongdae told you yet what the plans are for that?”

“Babe, why are you upset?” Jongin finally asked her.

“I’m not upset,” she stated, and he could envision the pout on her face.

“You are upset. Don’t lie to me,” he told her, wanting to make sure they didn’t end this phone call on this note.

“You had a nice dinner with your ex who you were completely in love with and who all your friends and family liked. Why do you think I’m upset?” she finally said.

“I honestly have no idea,” he said, not even trying to be obtuse.

She made noises that sounded much like exasperation, then said, “Just forget it. I’m sure you have to get to bed.”

“No,” Jongin told her, sitting up so that he could have this conversation. “We’re not hanging up like this. What is the problem exactly?”

“Why did you need to see her again?” Jennie asked instead of answering. “You could’ve told her ‘no’ or ignored her. I thought you were busy over there?”

“Wow,” Jongin said, never having dealt with her insecurities being this bad, especially not about something like this. “First of all, I’ve known Krystal most of my life, and I was really bummed that our break up meant that I lost a really great friend, so the fact that she reached out meant a lot to me, and the fact that we realized that we were both mature enough to be friends despite everything was kind of a big deal for me tonight.”

“Well I’m happy for you,” Jennie said, and the bitterness in her tone was very clear. “I’m sure your parents are going to love it when you tell them. I’m sure Kyungsoo and Jongdae will be ecstatic when they find out.”

“You are completely overreacting to this,” Jongin told her.

“I’m overreacting to my boyfriend having dinner with his ex who he loved and who his parents and best friends loved, when his parents hate me, his best friends just put up with me, and he’s never once told me he’s loved me even though we’ve been together for over a year now?”

Oh. Wow.

Jongin sat stunned and his roommate looked at him wondering if he was okay. Jongin wasn’t sure he was, but he motioned to him that he was, then got up and went out to the hallway, not sure where he could have this conversation in private.

“Okay,” he said, pacing up and down the hallway, running his hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what to say to this. “I’m sorry.” He knew an apology was the safest place to start, and it bought him some time to come up with something else. “These things did not cross my mind when I agreed to have dinner with her, but it’s because I didn’t think it changed anything. My parents are always going to wish I was with her because they’ve known her forever, so there’s no point in worrying about that, and Jongdae and Kyungsoo don’t just put up with you. Jongdae adores you, and Kyungsoo really likes you now. Obviously. He agreed to combine your birthday dinners. Babe, I promise you that this doesn’t change anything. Jongdae and Kyungsoo are happy that I’m with you. I promise.”

Jennie stayed quiet on the other line, and Jongin knew she was waiting for him to address the final point, but he didn’t know what to say to that.

“Babe?” he decided to try and prompt her instead. “Jennie?”

“It doesn’t change anything. Got it,” she said, her tone resigned.

She was so upset, and Jongin didn’t know how to make her feel better. He probably shouldn’t have told her until he was back in LA and could tell her in person, that way he could’ve assured her better that everything was fine.

“Please don’t be mad at me over something that’s really nothing,” he said, the plea evident in his own resigned voice. “Would it help if I told you that I got you something today that I think you’re really going to like? It was going to be a surprise, but I can spoil it for you if you want.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said, and Jongin hated how down she sounded. “I’ll wait for you to get back. Get some sleep. You have a really busy day tomorrow.”

He sighed into the phone, very much so she could hear it, and said, “Okay, I miss you.”

“Okay,” she said, “Good night.”

She hung up, and Jongin wasn’t sure if he deserved all of this, but he felt guilty anyway as he headed back into his room.

“Dude, why’d you tell her?” his roommate asked him.

“Because I’m an honest person and it wasn’t a big deal?” Jongin said, plopping into his bed, now truly exhausted.

“Meeting up with the ex is always a big deal,” he said, shaking his head. “Once the ex called to meet up, you should’ve called your girl and told her and asked her permission. That’s how women work.”

Jongin groaned and put his arm over his eyes. “I grew up in a house full of women,” he told his fellow dancer. “I’m usually good at this. She’s just so hung up on things that shouldn’t matter.”

“When it comes to women, every little thing matters,” his wise roommate said, and Jongin groaned again.

Maybe he should have told Jennie about it immediately and asked her permission, but he imagined that she would have just been upset with him earlier, and she would have asked him if he wanted to have dinner with her and why, which would have probably lead to all of this anyway.

He hadn’t done anything wrong, and this was one thing that he couldn’t help Jennie with. In his mind, she was not in competition with Krystal, but if Jennie felt threatened by her because of his parents liking her, then that was something she was just going to have to accept and move on from. Krystal and he had been great friends, and there was no reason for them to not be friends again just because of Jennie’s insecurities.


	20. Chapter 20

Naps with Chanyeol weren’t supposed to have become a regular thing, but Kyungsoo found that after being exhausted from a day of classes, a nap was exactly what he needed, and if it happened to be at Chanyeol’s place, then even better.

Falling asleep cuddled into his large arms and chest on the rooftop of the hotel the morning of Halloween had awakened a crazy need inside of Kyungsoo. And now he couldn’t get enough of it. But it was the part of his day he most looked forward to whenever he could sneak it in, and after a tough day of dealing with some weird emotions in his Intermediate Acting class, Chanyeol’s cuddle and his comforting scent made everything better.

“You should come with me to Arizona,” Chanyeol said after they had both woken up and lazily continued to lay next to each other in Chanyeol’s bed.

“Does it get me out of going to Rosé’s birthday party?” Kyungsoo mused, stretching his legs out and letting out a slight yawn.

“Sadly no,” Chanyeol said with a long-suffering sigh. “Once again, Jennie has made sure that it doesn’t conflict with my schedule.”

“Curse everything.” Kyungsoo relaxed his legs again after stretching and noticed that they were losing daylight quite rapidly. He checked his phone and saw that it was just about to be 5 p.m. He really hated this time of the year. “I guess I should get going, so I’m not walking home in the dark.”

“Or you could just stay the night,” Chanyeol offered. “I have snacks and movies.”

Kyungsoo smiled at him and shook his head, “Tae’s coming over in a couple of hours to do a dance party with Emily. Maybe next time.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, giving him a cute smile. “Next time.”

Kyungsoo laughed at that then got up to grab his backpack and slip on his shoes, leaving Chanyeol’s apartment and heading back home in time to find Lucas making dinner for them.

This was also something that wasn’t supposed to have become a regular thing, but as it turned out, Lucas really loved to cook for them for some reason, and Kyungsoo wasn’t one to complain. Part of Kyungsoo hoped that Baekhyun would realize that Lucas was the one and keep him forever instead of moving on to someone else.

“Smells amazing,” Kyungsoo said, toeing his sneakers off by the door and then dropping his backpack on the couch. He walked to the kitchen to see the food.

“Thanks,” Lucas said with a big smile. “I’m trying a new recipe for quesadillas. Not that quesadillas are hard, but I’ve never made ones that weren’t just meat and cheese.”

“I feel that quesadillas are one of those meals you can never go wrong with,” Kyungsoo assured him, “You can put anything in it and the cheese will still mask it and make it good.”

“That’s what I’m thinking too,” Lucas nodded in agreement. “Quesadillas are Emily’s favorite, so since Baek is babysitting her tonight, I figured I’d make them.”

“Tae is planning on showing her the new choreography he’s learning to help entertain,” Kyungsoo let him know.

“Brilliant! I want to learn it too!”

“We’re all going to learn it,” Kyungsoo assured him with a laugh.

He headed to his room to relax a bit before their fun dinner night, and just as he closed his eyes, his phone vibrated. He checked it to see that it was Junmyeon and prepared himself mentally before answering.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo answered.

“Hey!” Junmyeon said. “Oh good, you’re not in class. Did you see a casting call went up for the new Marvel spinoff on Netflix?”

“I didn’t,” Kyungsoo said, and he let Junmyeon tell him all about it.

This was yet another thing that wasn’t supposed to have become a regular thing, but in the months that had followed the Halloween party, Junmyeon had been calling him quite a bit. At first, Kyungsoo had to struggle through it, but then he realized that it was really nice to have someone in the same career situation he was, although Junmyeon’s career was flourishing much more than Kyungsoo’s, who still hadn’t booked anything.

And it was different talking to Junmyeon about it than Logan. For starters, Logan was white, so he didn’t have the same difficulties that Kyungsoo had when it came to fitting parts. Also, Logan’s agent was seasoned and able to get him a lot of opportunities, whereas Eric was still trying to work his way into wining and dining the right people and saying the right things to get them to consider his clients. Junmyeon’s agent was somewhere in between, so even though he couldn’t create parts that would cast him, he had enough clout to get Junmyeon in front of the right people.

The other great thing about talking with Junmyeon was that he always inquired about Kyungsoo’s acting classes and gave him anecdotes to help him through issues he had in them or advice on things to try for the next class. He had to admit that it helped, which is why he told him about some of his struggles from class that day.

“It was a scene where I had to be really mean to someone,” Kyungsoo explained. “But the professor called me out for playing it like how I think someone would be mean to someone instead of how I’d actually be mean to someone.”

“Ah, yes,” Junmyeon said in understanding. “And you don’t have a mean bone in your body.”

“I really don’t,” Kyungsoo lamented. “I thought I did. Like I’ve been mean to my friends before, but just in a joking way that they understand. I was supposed to be mean to this person, and I figured saying hurtful things to them would be enough, but then my professor said that saying things without meaning them doesn’t work.”

“He’s right,” Junmyeon said, “It’ll come off like bad acting if you’re not in the mind frame of someone who’s mean. Just think of someone that’s been mean to you before, and if you’re still in contact with them, interview them to find out their motivations, then use that.”

“That’s what my professor said,” Kyungsoo whined, “But no one’s ever really been mean like that to me before. The closest I have is my parents when they wouldn’t let me do something.”

“It’s so hard for those of us who haven’t had real struggles,” Junmyeon said in understanding. “I think it’s why we’re so attracted to acting in the first place. I don’t have problems, so let me live in someone else’s problems.”

“That oddly rings true,” Kyungsoo said, thinking about this for a moment. “Wait, but I have problems. I’m in college when I should be acting.”

“First-world problems never count,” Junmyeon stated, and then added, “Which I think is wrong. My first world problems are very much problems. I’m sorry if I feel that every sink, soap dispenser, toilet, and paper towel dispenser in a public bathroom should be automatic. But it really bothers me and gives me anxiety.”

Kyungsoo chuckled and listen to Junmyeon complain about his first-world problems until Taeyong arrived. Baekhyun and Emily arrived not long after, and as they sat around in the living room eating their quesadillas, Baekhyun told them his exciting news of the day.

“You guys, my band is happening,” Baekhyun announced, holding up a slice of his quesadilla in the air in victory.

“Finally,” Kyungsoo said, really loving what Lucas had done with the quesadilla. He had added peppers, onions, and mushrooms in it, along with some chicken, and had used two types of cheeses, which had made it both flavorful and creamier.

“So, Emily and I spent the last few hours hanging out at Sam Ash. I had to change out my strings on my guitar, and I figured Emily would have fun trying out different instruments and playing around. So, while I’m showing Emily some chords on a really cool keyboard that I kinda now want, this guy starts playing a drum kit. I mean, he was going for it, testing it out, stopping to ask the sales guy questions, adjusting things, then just going to town on it. He was amazing.”

Kyungsoo had a huge smile on his face as he listened, loving this scenario already.

“I headed over to watch and then talk to the guy. My first fear was that he was already in a band, so I asked him that first, and he said he wasn’t and had just moved to town from Toronto.”

“Yes,” Taeyong said with a little fist pump. “He should be in your band for being Canadian alone.”

“Agreed,” Baekhyun said, pointing at him. “I used that as a segue, so thank you, Tae. I was like, oh, I have a friend who just moved from Vancouver. He’s a dancer. We make some small talk and I tell him I’m getting a band together and we should see how we vibe. So, the sales guy gets me a guitar. He’s all excited about it, saying that he would like to witness the birth of the next great LA rock band. We laugh about it, but I start playing some chords, and he starts adding a beat to it, and when I tell you guys that I had a full-on spiritual experience, I am not kidding.”

“Chanyeol will be happy to know he’s off the hook,” Kyungsoo teased.

“He’s so off the hook,” Baekhyun confirmed. “Because this dude… like, Chanyeol’s great at drums, but this guy is expert status. He told me he was a child prodigy, and I’m like how have you not been snatched up by now? It was meant to be, guys. So now I have a drummer. His name is Justin, and he’s Canadian, and he’s the drummer of my dreams.”

“Is his last name Bieber?” Lucas said with shocked eyes. “Justin Bieber is Canadian and played drums!”

Baekhyun blinked at him, and sucked in his lips to keep from laughing, “Babe, if it was Justin Bieber, I would have said it was Justin Bieber.”

“Did you ask him his last name?” Lucas asked, needing to make sure, which Kyungsoo found really adorable.

“Yes,” Baekhyun said, finally letting out soft chuckles, “It’s Moore. But if it’s any consolation, he’s got the cute blond hair blue-eyed thing going like the Biebs.”

“I’m in love with your drummer,” Lucas said, and they all had to bust out laughing at that point.

“Well, you’re not alone,” Baekhyun told him. “Emily’s in love with him too.”

“No, I’m not,” she said, looking both surprised and embarrassed.

“You didn’t have to say it,” Baekhyun said to her with a teasing smile. “I saw how you kept looking at him and how shy you got.”

“No, I didn’t,” she said, but her rosy cheeks told a different story.

“I would have been shy too,” Lucas assured Emily, which made her relax a little in her defensiveness.

“Okay, so you have a drummer,” Kyungsoo then said, “What’s next?”

“Just need a bassist and a lead guitarist. You’d think I’d find one in the music program, but a lot of them want to be the lead singer too, and that’s not happening. Or they want their music to be some sort of high art that I could give two craps about. I need to find them quick though. I don’t want to lose Justin. If it takes too long, another person will come along and steal him from me.”

“Please don’t lose Justin,” Lucas said, “I can learn to play bass if it helps.”

“Lucas will do anything to help you keep Justin,” Taeyong said snickering.

“Emily would too,” Kyungsoo teased, and the little girl looked horrified all over again, so Kyungsoo made sure to say he was just kidding, promising her that he totally believed her.

Once they were done eating, it was time for Taeyong’s dance class. It had been so long since Kyungsoo had had to learn choreography that it took him a moment to get into the groove of it, but once he did, he remembered just how much fun he always had when he agreed to take hip hop classes with Jongin or whenever Jongin tried to show him and Jongdae choreo he was learning.

They had fun dancing until it was Emily’s bedtime, and as Emily went to change into her pajamas in Baekhyun’s room, Kyungsoo helped her brother up the couch for her to sleep in. Taeyong helped Lucas clean up in the kitchen, which involved a conversation that made both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun chuckle as they overheard it.

“The sink is backing up,” Taeyong had said, “But I can’t find the switch for the garburator.”

“The switch for the what?” Lucas asked.

“The garburator,” Taeyong said again.

And after a moment, Lucas must have understood because he said, “Oh, you mean the garbage disposal?”

“No, the thing in the sink that chops up the food,” Taeyong said.

Then they heard the sound of the garbage disposal being turned on, and Lucas asked, “That?”

“Yeah,” Taeyong said.

“That’s a garbage disposal,” Lucas told him.

“Shit, really? In Canada, we call it a garburator. You guys don’t call it a garburator?”

“No, but I wish we did. That sounds cool! We call it a garbage disposal.”

“That’s so weird,” Taeyong said as he ran the faucet again, “Why would you call it a garbage disposal? It doesn’t dispose of anything. It just chops it up so it can go down the drain easier.”

“You’re so right,” Lucas said, “Why do we call it that?”

Which was around the point that Kyungsoo and Baekhyun fell onto the couch in giggles.

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo both wished Taeyong and Lucas a good night, and then Baekhyun made sure that Emily had everything she needed for bed, leaving the kitchen light on for her to act as a night light.

“Do you guys have big plans for tomorrow?” Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun as he made himself some chocolate milk to take back to his room for the night.

Baekhyun’s mom was shooting a film in Austria, and Emily’s dad was gone for the week on a business trip. Their divorce had been finalized just in time for her to be cleared of any implications in her husband’s case. It had allowed her to leave the country to film but had created other types of issues, like wanting to take Emily with her but not being able to because her now ex-husband had shared custody and refused to let her leave the country in the middle of the school year.

And even though Emily’s dad was still under investigation and his case was still in the process of being tried, his lawyers were doing a great job of delaying everything and making it draw out enough to hopefully either find a way to get him cleared as well or make a settlement happen.

Either way, with him out of town and Baekhyun’s mom out of the country, they had an Emily for the week, which Kyungsoo had been really enjoying.

“Huge plans,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle, “After I pick her up from school tomorrow, I’m taking her to her ballet class and plan on being a competitive dance mom while there. Then we’re going to get ice cream at Salt ‘n’ Straw, and then we’re going to head over to Dae’s for some fun time with Hannah before coming home and eating whatever Lucas has planned for us next.”

“Sounds fun,” Kyungsoo told him, almost saying that it sounded domestic, but not wanting to scare Baekhyun into overthinking it and freaking out enough to end things with Lucas.

Kyungsoo headed to his room and drank his chocolate milk as he looked over the casting updates that Junmyeon had mentioned to him. He sent his resume and headshots to the ones that had online portals and then sent off an email to Eric letting him know what he had submitted to.

The fact that Baekhyun was one bandmate closer to his goal made Kyungsoo realize that he really needed to work toward his as well. So with that done, he lay in bed and tried to figure out who he could interview about being mean. He hadn’t been lying to Junmyeon. He knew that people in his position, as an Asian, as a gay, as small for his age, as shy and introverted, usually got bullied. But since he had gone to a mostly Asian school growing up, and he wasn’t the only small person, and he wasn’t really out to anyone but his friends and family in school up until senior year where everyone seemed cool with it, he hadn’t really had to deal with too much prejudice or bullying.

He only knew it happened because that’s what movies and TV said happened, and also because when he had been in the scene with Yixing and Amber, he had heard first-hand stories from people of the things they had been through. And then he thought about what Yixing had been through, and he suddenly thought that if there had been one person in his life that had been mean to him and made him cry, it was him.

He hadn’t considered it before. It’s not like Yixing had been mean to him in the way that the character he’d been trying to play had been, but maybe it was the closest he could get. Kyungsoo had been enjoying getting to know the new Yixing, but they hadn’t hung out as much as he thought they would. Mostly because Yixing was super busy with school and his two jobs.

So he texted him and asked if they could hang out soon. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure he really wanted to bring these things up with Yixing, especially since Yixing had moved on from that part of his life, but it was the only lead he had. He figured he’d start there and see if it helped any. Yixing texted back saying that he’d love that, and Kyungsoo smiled, thinking he’d love that too.

***

Kyungsoo and Yixing decided to meet the next day since Yixing had the night off from the club, and Yixing asked him if he wanted to just hang out at his place and they could order a pizza or something and chill. Kyungsoo had told him he was up for that, which is how he ended up at Yixing’s place for the first time ever.

He parked on the street in front of a two-story dingbat, the boxy apartment-type was a staple in neighborhoods all over LA, nestled between larger apartment complexes or single-family homes. He walked up the stairs to the second floor, as Yixing had instructed, and knocked.

Yixing opened the door in sweats and a tee and looked like he had just woken up from a nap, as he often did whether or not a nap had been taken.

“Hey, come in,” Yixing said, opening the door wide for him, and Kyungsoo said “hey” back and stepped in, taking off his shoes and noticing the smell of pizza almost instantly. “The pizza just got here,” Yixing explained as he motioned toward the small round dining table by the kitchen area. “Want a quick tour first?”

“Sure,” Kyungsoo told him, taking in the living room they stood in, with its shaggy, olive green couch and a large flat-screen TV on the wall with multiple gaming systems attached to it. “Playing a lot of games these days?” It was a joke. Yixing had never really been into video games.

He smiled and said, “My roommates are both really competitive about it. One of them is a professional gamer, and the other is a developer.”

“And they let you be their roommate?” Kyungsoo teased.

“Ha,” Yixing simply said, moving him into the hallway. “That’s their room. The master. And they have a master bathroom in there. This guest bathroom is mine, and this is my room.”

Kyungsoo stepped inside his room, which was small, but tidy and had a twin bed, a dresser for clothes, and a small desk with Yixing’s laptop and books on it. His view was typical for the area—the building next to theirs.

“Cozy, I like it,” Kyungsoo told him. “So, are your roommates together then?” He thumbed back over toward the master bedroom.

“They’re married,” Yixing informed him. “And they’re out for the night at some family event, which is why I asked if you wanted to come over instead. It’s rare that I get the place to myself, and I wanted to stay in and enjoy it.”

“I totally get that,” Kyungsoo told him, following him back out of the room and noticing some of the pictures on the bookshelves. “Which one is the gamer, and which one is the developer?”

“He’s the gamer. She’s the developer,” Yixing answered, and he filled him in a bit more on them as they sat to eat their pizza. “They’ve been married for a few years. They had another roommate who moved out a few weeks before I got here, so I inquired at exactly the right time. They’re nice and really cool. I mostly stay to myself and don’t bother them, and they do the same.”

“Do they own this place?” Kyungsoo asked, taking a sip from his bottle of Mexican Coke, which was perfectly cold.

“No, they rent it,” Yixing replied. “It’s rent-controlled, so they don’t pay as much as other people in this area. It’s still hard though, so they rent out the extra room while they try and save up for a down payment on a house.”

Kyungsoo grinned at him and said, “I like that you’re living with sensible people.”

“I feel that’s some sort of insult against my sensibilities,” Yixing said, narrowing his eyes a little to figure it out, and Kyungsoo laughed.

Kyungsoo wondered what it was like for Yixing to have gone from growing up in a large house with two bedrooms to himself to now having to live in a tiny room in someone else’s apartment. He seemed to be fine with it for now though. The fact that he showed it off to Kyungsoo and wasn’t ashamed of it spoke volumes, so Kyungsoo assumed that Yixing saw this as another stepping-stone in building his new life.

“Tae lives in a similar setup,” Kyungsoo told him, “But not as nice as this. His place is in NoHo, and it’s a three-bedroom condo with the owners in the master bedroom, another person in the other room, and him in his room. He has to share the bathroom with the other guy.”

“I am thankful that I have my own bathroom,” Yixing said.

Kyungsoo then considered how sparse Yixing’s room actually looked. “Where’s all your stuff though? Did your parents not let you get anything from home?”

“It’s in storage,” Yixing explained, sprinkling more red pepper flakes onto his pizza. “My father’s assistant coordinated all that, and I’m stuck paying the bill for it even though I didn’t ask for it to all be transferred to storage. It’s fine though. As soon as I get my own place, I’ll get it out of there and stop paying for it.”

“How far away are you from getting your own place?” Kyungsoo went ahead and asked.

“Far,” Yixing said with a wry smile, “The tips at the club are great, but it’s going to take me some time to save up enough.”

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding and tried to find a way to bring up what he needed to, but Yixing seemed to have his own topic ready.

“I’m surprised you were free tonight,” Yixing said, in between bites of his pizza. “Your boyfriend usually has you busy doing something else.”

That seemed to be purposely worded in a weird way, and Kyungsoo tried to read between the lines but gave up and asked, “What do you mean? You’re the one that’s busy with college and two jobs.”

“I mean that whenever it’s an event that we’re at together, he makes sure that we’re never left alone, and on other days when I ask you to hang out, you say that you have plans with him,” Yixing clarified.

“Well, he’s my boyfriend,” Kyungsoo said, slowly, as if maybe he didn’t know what that meant. “We have plans. We spend as much time as we can with each other. We’re both busy during the day, so we can only hang out at night.”

“So why aren’t you hanging out tonight?” Yixing asked as he picked up his own bottle of soda to take a drink from it.

“Because I’m hanging out with you,” Kyungsoo said, wishing Yixing would just make his point.

“And he was okay with that?” Yixing asked with raised eyebrows, and Kyungsoo almost answered until he realized what his answer was. Yixing naturally figured it out. “You didn’t tell him you were hanging out with me tonight.”

“He was busy with a dance thing tonight,” Kyungsoo explained, “I haven’t even had a chance to talk to him today. Anyway, what’s your point?”

Yixing shrugged and said, “He just seems a little possessive of you. Or maybe he’s just insecure.”

“He’s neither,” Kyungsoo said, feeling annoyed by this stupid observation. “You can’t judge that off the few interactions you’ve had with him or us together.”

“It’s been more than a few,” Yixing said, but he put his hand up as if to calm him, “I’m not trying to make you upset or anything. I’m just well aware that he doesn’t like me and doesn’t like when you’re around me, so I’m just surprised you’re here.”

Kyungsoo was actually grateful for the perfect segue, and he went right into it, “Well, I did tell him about our relationship, so, no, he’s not a fan.”

“Yeah, I figured that out myself,” Yixing told him with a sarcastic smile.

“You know, there are things I don’t understand about back then,” Kyungsoo then went ahead and ventured. “I get that you were in the closet and dealing with all that, but, for example, after that great night we had at the club in Huntington Beach, that night that Amber lost her wallet and almost got into a fight with some guy she swore stole it, why, the next day in school, when I tried to say ‘hi’ to you in the cafeteria, did you act like you didn’t know me and then ignored all my text messages until three-days later when you wanted to hook up again?”

“I’m really sorry about that,” Yixing said, looking down at his pizza for a moment, and then he nodded his head to the side as if in thought before looking at him again. “I just didn’t want anyone to know or even guess that we had hooked up, so I acted like I didn’t know you.”

“Right,” Kyungsoo nodded, “I can get that for the cafeteria, but why didn’t you text me back at least? Who was going to see that?”

“I was just scared that if I lost my phone or if my parents ever took a look at my phone, they’d see it,” Yixing explained, and that made some sort of sense he supposed.

“So your bad decisions about me were driven by fear,” Kyungsoo stated, tucking that piece of information away into his acting folder to analyze later.

“I wasn’t a brave person back then,” Yixing tried to explain. “I’m learning to be brave now.”

“Yeah, no doubt,” Kyungsoo said, moving onto his next question. “So, you were too scared to get caught liking me, but not scared enough to the point of avoiding me altogether. You were willing to risk getting caught whenever you wanted something from me, namely sex.”

“I would always make sure when we hooked up that we were in a situation where we wouldn’t get caught,” Yixing pointed out. “And I didn’t just want sex from you.”

“You literally only hung out with me when it would lead to sex,” Kyungsoo reminded him. “We never had a moment where we would just hang out and get ice cream and talk about nothing then say goodbye. You either were taking me to clubs so we could hook up, or to the scene kids’ house parties so we could hook up, or to your car, so we could hook up.”

“I’m sorry,” Yixing said, looking disturbed by being told this so bluntly.

“You’ve already apologized to me. I don’t need another apology. I’m just curious to know what your thought process was. Was it that you were scared unless you wanted something from me, and you were willing to be brave for those moments, but then after you were scared again? And if so, doesn’t that mean you were just using me?”

Yixing put his half-eaten slice of pizza down and pushed his plate away a little, looking down at the table.

“I guess I never thought about it before like that,” Yixing said, his brows furrowing, and then he shook his head at himself and looked back at Kyungsoo. “I guess you’re right. I was scared, and I was using you.”

“Cool,” Kyungsoo said, swigging more of his soda.

“I’m so sorry,” Yixing said, “And I know you don’t want another apology, but I really am. I would do anything to go back in time and do it differently. And I would do anything to make it up to you now if I could.”

“I actually think I’m kind of over it now,” Kyungsoo then admitted, thinking about how he hadn’t had any really negative thoughts about it since dating Taeyong or since attempting to be friends with Yixing again. “I think my possessive and insecure boyfriend helped me move on from you, and I didn’t even realize it until now.”

Yixing looked unimpressed by that statement, and maybe a little hurt, so Kyungsoo kept going.

“Maybe it’s the way that we hang out sometimes and don’t have sex. Like, I’m not sure I registered how that could be a thing until I started dating him,” Kyungsoo mused, then suddenly thought about how he and Chanyeol were the same way too, which, duh, they were friends, but still. “Or maybe it’s the way he makes the effort to come hang out with me after he’s had a long day of training. The way he always brings me stuff, usually food, and pushes me to try new things, like dye my hair. The way that all my other friends like him just fine and have never thought he was possessive and insecure.”

“I get the point,” Yixing said, watching him, and Kyungsoo gave a one-armed shrug.

“Anyway, it’s good that I’m over it. I didn’t think I ever would be,” Kyungsoo said, wiping his mouth with his napkin and wondering if he still had room for another slice.

Yixing, on the other hand, still didn’t seem interested in eating. He stayed quiet for a moment, then said, “Is this how all of our new moments together are going to be? With you bringing it all up and reminding me that I was a bad person?”

“No,” Kyungsoo told him, giving him a soft smile. “I just needed to understand. I had been wondering what made you treat me badly. You know, for a long time, I thought I was the problem. Like there was something about me that made me unlovable or not the type of person anyone would want to date publicly. But being with Taeyong has taught me different.”

“You were never the problem,” Yixing told him. “I was the problem, and based on this conversation, I’m still the problem.”

“Sorry, we can switch the topic now,” Kyungsoo told him, having gotten the information he needed and not wanting to make Yixing feel worse. He really did realize he had moved on. “Are you looking forward to Rosé’s birthday party?”

“No,” Yixing said, still looking a little bit down. “I probably won’t go.”

“Why?” Kyungsoo said, his eyebrows raising, “Is it because of this conversation?”

“This and… I just think that maybe I’ve been realizing that I don’t have a place in your world anymore.” Yixing looked thoughtful about it. “I came back thinking we could try again, and things could be different, but… you’ve got your boyfriend, you’ve got great friends, and whenever it’s just us, it’s… like this.”

“I’m switching the topic so it’s not like this,” Kyungsoo tried to tease, figuring he could get him in a better mood somehow.

“I don’t know if I want to attend another party where I don’t hang out with my only friend there because I’m being iced by everyone except Sehun,” Yixing admitted, and Kyungsoo felt bad again, losing his smile. “Don’t get me wrong,” Yixing then said, “I like Sehun. He’s really cool. But he brings his friends, and then I feel like I’m imposing on their time together.”

Kyungsoo sighed and said, “That’s a fair and valid point.” He really needed to find a way to get his friends to back off and let Yixing live.

“But also,” Yixing then said, “There’s something else.”

“What?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes round and unsure.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you this, but wasn’t sure how to,” Yixing began, looking like he really didn’t know how to bring it up. “I think at first, I wasn’t sure that I was interpreting what I was seeing correctly, but at your dinner, I was convinced that I wasn’t crazy, and by the time Jongin’s and Jennie’s birthday parties happened, I knew I was right. I think.”

“About?” Kyungsoo asked, not sure why he felt nervous all of a sudden.

“What exactly is your relationship with Chanyeol?” Yixing flat out asked, and Kyungsoo’s stomach did a flip.

His nervousness was warranted, but then he realized he wasn’t sure why it was warranted, and he just waved it off and said, “We’re just friends. Why?”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Yixing said, narrowing his eyes a little. “Did you guys used to date?”

Kyungsoo scoffed, “As if. He’s straight.”

Yixing looked surprised by this but then narrowed his eyes again, “No way. He is not straight.”

“He’s one thousand percent totally straight,” Kyungsoo stated, “Oh, except that one time that we were in his room, and he started touching my lips, and suddenly we were kissing, and he said he wanted to experiment with me, and I told him ‘no’ because I’d already done that once and I was never going to be used by someone again for their weird no-homo fantasies.”

“Wow,” Yixing said, staring at him stunned by this. “Wow,” he said again.

“Yeah, so see? Totally straight.” Now it was Kyungsoo’s turn to push his plate away, suddenly annoyed by it all over again.

Yixing seemed to process all of this, and then he seemed to shake himself out of a stupor.

“You guys have feelings for each other,” Yixing said, which was ridiculous. “The way you guys look at each other. The way you have your inside jokes. The way you’re so comfortable in each other’s presence. The literal heart eyes when you look at him. The even bigger heart eyes when he looks at you.”

“There are no heart eyes,” Kyungsoo told him, not liking how this conversation was going at all. “How can there be heart eyes when I’m with someone else, and he’s with someone else, and he’s straight and doesn’t want to be with me like that?”

“Those are all very good questions,” Yixing nodded, “And you should try and figure them out because there are heart eyes coming from both of you toward each other and that’s a problem. You guys are technically emotionally cheating on your significant others with each other.”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, affronted that Yixing would even suggest such a thing.

“Obviously you guys don’t realize it, but you need to talk to each other and figure this out. If I noticed, then I promise you that others have too. Maybe even your boyfriend,” Yixing warned him.

That was a terrifying thought, and Kyungsoo tried to think about this, then shook his head. “Taeyong has never cared when I hang out with Chanyeol. So, if your theory about him not wanting you around me is true, then that would apply to Chanyeol too, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know,” Yixing said, turning it back on him, “Do you tell him about every time you hang out with Chanyeol?”

Kyungsoo looked up and to the side, certain that he had, but when he thought about it, he didn’t think he actually mentioned to Taeyong whenever he was hanging out with Chanyeol. It usually happened during the day when Taeyong was busy training anyway.

“So Taeyong has no idea how much time you actually spend with Chanyeol,” Yixing stated. “Do you spend a lot of time with him?”

Kyungsoo bit his bottom lip in thought, still looking off to the side and away. Why couldn’t he think of answers all of a sudden?

“Okay,” Yixing said, “So you spend a lot of time with him.”

“Not a lot,” Kyungsoo defended, looking back at him. “I mean, we go to school together, and we’re taking a class this semester together.” That had been decided after a nap in November when they had realized that the system was open for class sign-ups for spring, and they decided it’d be fun to be in class together again. “And then sometimes we go back to his place to take a nap before I go home for the day.”

“Wow,” Yixing said again.

“We’re just friends,” Kyungsoo defended again. “They’re friendly naps. It’s not like we’re kissing during our naps or anything. We’re just napping.”

“In the same bed?” Yixing inquired.

“Well, he only has one bed,” Kyungsoo said, like duh, obviously.

“You could nap on the couch while he naps in his bed,” Yixing pointed out.

“It wouldn’t be as comfortable,” Kyungsoo stated the obvious, again.

“How much space is between the two of you when you nap in his bed?” Yixing continued, and Kyungsoo remained silent. “Wow,” Yixing said again.

“There is nothing wrong with cuddling with your straight friend,” Kyungsoo said, and oh my God, he sounded like an idiot. Shit. Was he emotionally cheating on Taeyong with Chanyeol? Shit shit shit.

“I mean,” Yixing said, looking as if he was enjoying being on the other side of the accusations now. “Do you take naps and cuddle with your other friends?”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo said because he really needed to think about this. What the hell were he and Chanyeol doing? And why wasn’t Chanyeol freaking out about the cuddling? Shit.

Yixing picked up a new slice of pizza and ate it as Kyungsoo tried to mentally work through this, and when he kept coming to the same conclusion of being an idiot and now freaking out about emotionally cheating, he looked back at Yixing with a look that probably mirrored a plea for help.

“You need to talk to him about this and figure out what it is that’s going on between the two of you,” Yixing stated again, maybe knowing that this time Kyungsoo was actually listening.

The idea made him more distraught. If he talked to Chanyeol, and they determined that it was emotional cheating, then he’d have to stop talking to Chanyeol because that wasn’t right and not fair at all to Taeyong. But if he didn’t and kept things the same, then he’d definitely be emotionally cheating. He didn’t want to do either.

“Or,” Yixing said, seeming to sense what was going through Kyungsoo’s mind, “I could talk to him for you.”

“What? No. Why?” Kyungsoo looked at him alarmed by this suggestion.

“Because,” Yixing said, seeming to be amused by something. “I think I might know what he’s going through.”

That… was a good point, and Kyungsoo cocked his head as he considered it.

“What would you say to him?” Kyungsoo then asked.

“That I get it. That I’ve been there,” Yixing replied. “And that I can maybe help. I’d want to get to know him, figure out where he’s coming from on this, and help him figure out what he really wants. Though I think I already know the answer to that.”

“Which is?” Kyungsoo asked, his eyebrows raising.

“We’ll see if I’m right first,” Yixing told him, a small glint of something mischievous in his smile. “Like I said, I want to make everything up to you, and now I know how I can. I think that this is why I was meant to come back into your life.”

“To help Chanyeol figure out that he’s not straight?” Kyungsoo asked, not following.

“Yeah, let’s go with that,” Yixing said, shaking his head. “Give me his number.”

“You’re really just going to hit him up like that?” Kyungsoo asked, taking out his phone anyway from his pocket to give him the number.

“I’ll text him and ask him if he wants to meet up for coffee and talk,” Yixing told him, letting him know that he got the shared contact.

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure how he felt about this, but he liked the idea of Yixing talking to Chanyeol instead of him doing it. Maybe Yixing would find out that Chanyeol really was straight and just needed to experiment because a lot of his friends were bi. Or maybe Yixing would find out that Chanyeol had no idea he was supposedly giving heart eyes, and Chanyeol would stop doing it and stop hanging out with Kyungsoo altogether anyway. That sounded awful. Whatever Yixing found out, he hoped it didn’t lead to losing Chanyeol as a friend.


	21. Chapter 21

Jongin hoped that the present he had gotten Jennie from New York helped fix things between them, which had been a bit off since that phone call where he had told her about having dinner with Krystal. He hated that feeling that they weren’t on the same page, and it had bothered him so much that he went straight from the airport to her apartment, not even bothering to stop at his own place to drop off his luggage first.

Which explained the double take she did when she looked down to see his carry-on with his duffel bag on top standing right beside him.

“Hey,” he said with a big smile.

“Hey,” she said back, not smiling, just looking confused, and she opened the door to let him in.

This wasn’t going well so far.

“I missed you, so I figured I’d come see you first,” he told her, leaving his shoes by the door next to hers and her roommates.

“How was your flight?” she asked him, leading him back to her room.

He left the carry on by the door as well but brought his duffel bag since the present was inside of it.

“Bumpy at first, but then it smoothed out,” he told her, noticing that he hadn’t even gotten a kiss.

He wasn’t used to Jennie holding a grudge. Usually, she brushed off things and pretended everything was okay, so this was new and unexpected, and he had no idea how to handle it.

“I’m glad you made it back safely then,” she said, moving some things around on her desk, and not looking at him.

“Okay, so you’re obviously still mad at me,” Jongin flat out said, dropping the duffel on her bed so that he could open it.

“I don’t know what I am,” she said, turning to face him and watching him.

“Well, I got you something.” He hoped that it did the trick because this was kind of freaking him out. He took out the familiar robin egg blue box with the white ribbon around it tied into a bow and held it out to her, giving her a smile to go along with it.

“Tiffany’s,” she said, not looking as happy as he had hoped or happy at all even.

“I…” Jongin hesitated, wondering if he had just made things worse. “I know you can get Tiffany’s here, but I thought you’d like something from their flagship store. Like from where that famous scene from the movie took place.”

Jennie blinked at him, and when she didn’t reach out to take it, he knew he had somehow managed to fuck up again.

He let out a frustrated sigh, which sounded desperate as well, and he placed the box down on the bed, close to her, then sat and ran his hand through his hair.

“Okay,” he said, “can you please explain to me what exactly is wrong so I can fix it?”

“Why don’t you love me?” she asked him, and Jongin should have seen that coming. God, he was dumb. He had walked right into that. How had a simple dinner with his ex triggered all of this?

“How honest do you want me to be right now?” he said, figuring he had nothing to lose at this point.

“Extremely,” she said, even as she crossed her arms to prepare herself for his words.

“It’s not that I don’t love you,” he began because he knew that much was true. Being away from her had only reinforced for him how much he missed her and wanted her to be with him at all times, which certainly translated into love. “It’s that I’m still not sure how much of our relationship is real.”

She looked confused and upset by this and asked him, “What do you mean?”

“You care so much about what other people think that I can’t figure out if it really matters what I think,” he started to explain, supposing he needed to get all of this off of his chest. “I’ve told you so many times to stop caring about my parents liking you, or my friends, or anyone, and you keep caring about them liking you. It’s so frustrating. Hearing you compare yourself to Krystal about things that none of us can control was maddening, and yes, I’m here to tell you that you can’t control certain things. You can’t buy gifts for people and expect them to instantly like you. You can’t invite people to your parties and expect them to instantly be your friend. You’re always trying to make sure people like you before they can even get to know you, and when something comes along that reminds you that not everyone likes you, you freak out.”

Jongin had to take a moment to calm himself down, feeling himself getting very worked up, but also noticing that Jennie was starting to breathe in a way that meant she was probably about to cry, so he had to reign it back.

“I’m just saying, that because of this and how you are, when you say you love me, I’m not sure if you mean it or if you’re telling me just because you need to hear me say it back to you. You need everyone to love you. I get that. But I keep waiting for the moment that I feel that what we feel for each other is real and mutual and just ours.”

She sniffled and Jongin hated himself for being too honest. He stood up to reach out to her, but she shook her head and took several steps back.

“Just get out,” she said to him, fighting to keep her tears back.

“Babe…”

“No, get out,” she said. “If my life and the way I am isn’t real enough for you, then what’s the point? I am who I am, and I’m sorry that’s not real enough for you. Just go get your real-enough ex-girlfriend back so your life can be as real as you want it to be.”

“Jennie, that’s not what I want. I’m not saying that’s what I want,” Jongin tried to explain to her.

“It is what you want,” she said, turning around so she could wipe at her cheek quickly before turning back around to add, “Just go. My parents thought I could do better anyway, so I’ll just go find whatever celeb they want and maybe he’ll understand me better and like me for who I am.”

Jongin stared at her disbelieving. “Are you being serious right now?” he had to ask.

“Get. Out!”

“You’re breaking up with me over this?” he asked, not understanding anything that was happening at this moment. “For being honest with you? For telling you how I felt? Instead of wanting to talk it out and work through it to figure out where the mixed signals are, you just want to dump me?”

“What mixed signals?” she said, practically yelling at him all of a sudden. “You were honest. You said what you had to say. I said what I had to say. Now get out.”

Jongin felt his head spin, not even knowing what to do but understanding that he needed to leave. He grabbed his duffel bag and headed out of her room, feeling like he needed to say something to fix this, but all he could think about was the moment he had been so brutally honest with her. She hadn’t liked it and gotten rid of him as a result.

What was he supposed to make of that? This didn’t make sense and once he was outside with his bags on the sidewalk, waiting for his rideshare to come and pick him up, he let it sink in that for the second time in his life, for reasons of being completely honest, he had been dumped.

How did this make sense?

As he held his phone in his hands to text, he realized they were shaking, and he had to physically sit down on the sidewalk to keep his stomach from lurching and to keep his hands steady as he typed.

_Jongin: I just got dumped. I don’t know what to do. I’m shaking. Like WTF?_

_Kyungsoo: Wait what? What do you mean you got dumped?_

_Jongdae: What?!_

_Jongin: I told you guys Jennie was upset about the Krystal thing. I came to her place to try and fix it, but she dumped me instead. I’m so shocked, and I can’t stop shaking._

_Kyungsoo: Come over!_

_Jongdae: Come over!_

_Jongdae: Jinx! Go to Soo’s, I’ll meet you there. You’ll be fine. Just hold it together until you get here._

_Kyungsoo: Let me know when you’re close so I can meet you outside. Don’t freak out. You’re okay. Just get here._

_Jongin: I’ll let you know when I’m there._

He had actually put Kyungsoo’s address in the rideshare app because he was too confused to go anywhere but to see his friends, so he was glad they were on the same page as him.

Once he was in the backseat of the car, he pulled his phone back out and started texting Jennie.

_Jongin: Babe, please let’s talk about this, okay? I know you’re upset now, but maybe we can talk about it tomorrow._

_Jongin: I’m sorry if I hurt you. I just wanted to be honest so we could work it all out. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you the last two weeks. All I wanted was for you to be with me._

_Jongin: How did this happen? Babe, please, let’s talk._

He was pathetic, and with each message, he was getting more pathetic, so he stopped himself from embarrassing himself any further. Since none of this made sense to him, he didn’t even know what he was trying to say in the first place to her.

And fuck, was he crying? He tried to cower in the corner so that the driver didn’t see him wiping the tears that were now falling down his face. What even was happening right now?

Never had he been more grateful to see Kyungsoo’s college apartment building than when the driver had turned the corner to his street, and Jongin quickly texted Kyungsoo to alert him that he was there. He thanked the driver after he helped him get his luggage out of the trunk, and then went up to the door just as Kyungsoo ran toward it.

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo said, throwing his arms around him, and Jongin appreciated the hug, then the second one that came right after from Jongdae who had come running right behind.

Jongdae took his duffel bag for him, and Kyungsoo rolled the luggage cart as they led him to the apartment where Baekhyun gave Jongin a big hug on sight.

“I sent Emily to my room to play her Switch,” Baekhyun told them, motioning for him to sit on the couch.

“Emily’s here?” Jongin asked absently, mostly because he was so out of it that he couldn’t register anything.

“Yeah, she’s been staying with us for the week,” Kyungsoo told him, sitting beside him and rubbing his knee. “So, what happened?”

Jongin told them everything, not leaving out a single detail, and when he was done, he just looked at them and wondered, “Was I in the wrong?”

“Not at all,” Jongdae said first. “You were honest with her, and she freaked out because you didn’t tell her what she wanted to hear.”

“You did the right thing,” Baekhyun agreed.

“Definitely,” Kyungsoo said, which at least made Jongin feel like he wasn’t completely crazy. “She definitely overreacted to this.”

“She’s been overreacting to things lately,” Baekhyun said, looking as if he was thinking about this. “I think, after the Halloween party turned her into an actual celebrity, she started acting a bit more off than usual.”

Jongin had to agree with that. When he thought about it, that night had changed a lot of things for her—and for him.

“She might be cracking under the pressure,” Jongdae pointed out, “Which is not great because you were literally the most stable person in her life. Getting rid of you isn’t going to help her situation.”

“You know,” Baekhyun said, tapping his finger to his chin, “That’s interesting that she mentioned that her parents want her with a celeb.”

“She had told me that before,” Jongin shrugged.

“But why mention it now when all this was happening?” Baekhyun pointed out. “It means it’s something she’s actively thinking about.”

“Ah,” Jongdae said, nodding, “You think that her parents have been pressuring her to dump Jongin now that her star has risen?”

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” Baekhyun replied. “I’ll talk to Jisoo about this and figure out what I can from her, but it doesn’t make sense that Jennie held onto this for so long and used it against you like that. That’s not how she normally is. She normally just accepts things and pretends it’s all okay.”

“That’s what shocked me about this,” Jongin said, glad that Baekhyun understood. “It wasn’t like her at all.”

“I don’t think it was her,” Baekhyun told him, which didn’t make Jongin feel any better, but did give him even more peace of mind that he was right in thinking none of this made sense. “I think she caved to her mom. I think you inadvertently gave her the excuse she needed.”

“Well,” Jongdae said to Jongin, “She proved you right. Her life isn’t hers if she’s dumping you based on what her mom wants, and if her life isn’t hers, then it’s certainly not real.”

“We’ve always known her life isn’t real,” Baekhyun agreed. “Jongin was the realest relationship she’s ever had. Outside of her friendships with Lisa and Jisoo. Rosé I’ve always been on the fence about.”

“Especially lately,” Jongdae pointed out. “She’s been seriously riding on Jennie’s coattails going with her to all the clubs and parties. And this birthday party of hers coming up is so unnecessary. Like really? She’s turning 19 and she wants an adult slumber party at a club? I’m not sleeping on a sticky club floor.”

“Well thank God we don’t have to go to that anymore,” Kyungsoo said, looking more than happy to take it off his calendar.

“I think it’s just a club night where we wear pajamas,” Baekhyun corrected, “But yeah, I’m more than happy to skip it.”

“You guys should still go,” Jongin said, not wanting them to miss out on a fun night because of him. “I’ll just head home for the weekend.” And then he groaned. “Shit, my parents are going to be so happy about this, and it’s going to make it all worse.”

Kyungsoo rubbed his back, and Jongdae snapped his fingers like he had gotten a brilliant idea.

“Let’s do our own sleepover party instead,” Jongdae suggested. “At Soo’s, that way you’re not around your parents, but you’re still close enough to go eat with them or something if they ask you to.”

“I like this idea,” Baekhyun said, grinning. “A guys sleepover party. Emily’s dad gets back into town Saturday morning, so after I drop her off, I can head down to join you guys.”

“We’ll microwave pizza rolls and bagel bites,” Jongdae said, practically bouncing at this idea. “And watch scary movies or something.”

“This slumber party already sounds five million times better than Rosé’s,” Kyungsoo said, and Jongin had to kinda agree.

A night with his best friends at Soo’s house eating pizza rolls and watching movies sounded like something he desperately needed. Maybe he had missed having a normal life more than he thought he had.

“So, it’s settled,” Jongdae said, “You did nothing wrong, and we’re going to celebrate your newfound freedom with a slumber party.”

Jongin just nodded, not sure what else to say. He was exhausted, and he was grateful that the guys insisted he stay, even though they were short a couch because of Emily. But Kyungsoo told him he could stay in his room with him, just like old times when they’d sleep at each other’s houses sometimes and all cram onto the bed together.

After Jongdae left, giving him a huge hug and telling him he’d be by in the morning to check up on him, Jongin changed out of his clothes and into his pajamas. He crawled into Kyungsoo’s bed and checked his messages on his phone only to find that Jennie hadn’t replied back, but she had definitely let her friends know.

_Lisa: Are you okay? Jennie just called us to let us know that you guys broke up. She didn’t give us details. She was crying and said she’d talk to us later then hung up. Where are you?_

_Jongin: I’m at Soo’s. Staying the night. Don’t want to talk about it right now, but I’ll tell you tomorrow when I get home. Don’t worry about me._

_Lisa: Okay. I’m still going to be worried, but I’m glad you’re safe. I’ll see you tomorrow. Let me know if you need me to pick you up since your car is here._

_Jongin: I’ll let you know. Thanks._

Jongin sighed and dropped his phone to the side of his body, trying to relax, but finding it impossible to not replay the breakup in his mind. It had all felt so off to him that he truly believed that his friends were right. The seed had been planted by her parents, or at the very least her mother. And once again he was left wondering what was real and what wasn’t? Had he really hurt her with his words, or had she understood what he was saying but used it against him? Had it really bothered her that he had dinner with Krystal, or was it just the perfect excuse for her to use to end it?

Part of him wanted to confront her mother about it, but he knew there was no point to that. He also knew that if she chose following her mother’s orders over him, then there was no point in him trying to get her back either. He hadn’t seen this coming and he didn’t know what to do now about anything. Sure, he could go back to his normal life, but what even was that anymore?

He had more gigs now, he had more followers than ever before, and he actually had fans now. He was confused when Jonghee had given him a stack of mail that had come in for him from girls saying that they loved him. Some made him smile because they said that they were inspired to dance because of him, and others horrified him because they had sent inappropriate pictures.

His life before didn’t have any of that in it, and when it started happening it had made sense because he had Jennie and she knew all about that kind of thing and helped him navigate it. But now his career had bumped him from the C-list to the B-list, and his B-list girlfriend had dumped him just as she had found herself in the A-list. He supposed, when he thought of those industry tabloid terms, that it made sense that she had to dump him and find herself a fellow A-lister to solidify herself among the upper echelon of Hollywood.

***

The next day, after Kyungsoo had insisted on dropping him off back home instead of ordering a rideshare, he took his luggage to his room and collapsed onto his bed, not believing that any of this was still happening. He had gotten so used to the routine of Jennie in his life. She wouldn’t text him anymore, set up events for him to attend, choose clothing for him to perfectly complement hers, spoil him with gifts or thoughtful gestures, or anything else. It was all gone, and he couldn’t remember what he did before her.

A light knock alerted him to Lisa’s presence as she entered his room, and he sat up and scooted over so she could join him on his bed to talk. He told her everything, just as he had his friends, and when he was done, he looked at her, somehow needing her validation as well.

“I agree with the boys,” Lisa said, not even having to think about it. “You did the right thing. You did nothing wrong, and she has changed a lot. Her mom is more controlling now than ever before, and she probably has someone lined up to replace you already.”

“I wish that could comfort me, but it doesn’t,” Jongin said, feeling a bit empty inside, much as he had felt when Krystal had dumped him too. Though that one he had understood better, which is why it was easier for them to be amicable about it and reach the point where they could be friends again. This one made no sense, and in turn, felt more awful.

“I know,” Lisa said, looking at him with understanding. “I’m sorry.”

“I have all of these events and reminders on my calendar,” he said, lifting his phone up and scrolling to show her. “It’s going to take me forever to delete them all.” He tried to say it as a joke, but his face ended up falling and he felt emotional all over again. Seeing Jennie transform herself into a stunning vision every night for these events was something he was definitely going to miss.

“You’re still going to be plenty busy,” Lisa told him, “Actually, you’re going to be busier because now instead of going to parties, you can really focus on booking more jobs and make your own name independent of hers. And yours will be based on actual talent instead of just being pretty.”

Jongin looked at Lisa surprised that she said this, and he blinked before saying, “Jennie has talents. I can’t believe you said that about your best friend.”

“You’re my best friend too,” Lisa reminded him, which made Jongin feel a little comforted. He was wondering if this was going to ruin their relationship as well. “And honestly, the past year or so, you’ve been more my best friend than she has. I haven’t liked how she’s been changing recently either and the fact that she would do this to you doesn’t sit right with me at all.”

Jongin sighed and nodded, but then told her, “You can’t stop being friends with her though. She needs someone like you in her life. All she has now is you, Jisoo, and Rosé, and Rosé doesn’t count because she’s an enabler and feeds off Jennie’s status.”

“I’m not going to abandon her or anything,” Lisa said, “But I am going to pull back. I have to focus on my career even more now when I’m in my prime age for it. Every year that goes by, it’s just going to get harder to book things. There are more talented and younger girls out there just waiting to come up and take all the jobs.”

“It’s so stupid,” Jongin said, but being annoyed for Lisa definitely got his mind off his own woes momentarily. “You should be booking every job. No one has that ‘it’ factor that you have.”

“Yeah,” Lisa said, looking not so sure about that and shrugging. “Actually, while you were gone, Taemin was in the studio, and he told me I needed to bite the bullet and try my luck in Korea and China. He said at least I could build a following and use it to my advantage back here.”

Jongin knew he was pouting, but he nodded anyway. “I don’t want you to leave me, but he might be right.”

Lisa gave him a smile and pat his shoulder, “I wouldn’t leave you, dumbass. I would go back and forth, stay for a bit to try and find and book jobs, leave once I worked them to come over here and do the same. Maybe take some pit stops in Thailand to visit some family.”

“Maybe I should come with you,” he said, thinking time away sounded good, but then he remembered how homesick he had just been and how nice it was to be in his own room. “Never mind, I like it here.”

“You’re a dork,” Lisa told him but gave him a warm smile. “You’re going to be fine. A little heartbroken, but fine. You’re the most resilient person I know.”

“That’s sad,” he told her but thanked her for the sentiment. “I just realized that I don’t have a thing to go to anymore tonight, which means I can spend the entire day resting. I’m not even sure what to do with that. I feel like I need to be doing something.”

“I’ve got things for you to do,” she told him. “We need to go grocery shopping because we’re out of everything, and you’re definitely out of everything. And then we need to go to the pet shelter and get a cat because I was bored while you were gone, so I decided we need a cat to be here with us in case one of us is gone. Actually, two cats, in case we’re both gone. And then when we get back home, you have to help me with this choreo that I’m working on for an audition.”

Jongin just stared at her, waiting to say she was joking about the cats, but she didn’t, and so he let it go. Because honestly, taking care of a couple of cats would probably be a good distraction for him now that he had no life again.


	22. Chapter 22

While Chanyeol was in Arizona, he got bombarded with a series of the most unexpected texts.

_Yixing: Hi, Chanyeol. It’s Yixing. Kyungsoo gave me your number. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for coffee and talk when you’re back in town._

That one had confused Chanyeol, and he had texted Kyungsoo to ask what it was about, but all Kyungsoo had told him was that Yixing wanted to get to know him better and that Chanyeol should give him the chance to.

_Jisoo: Jennie and Jongin broke up. Thought you should know._

_Baekhyun: Dude, Jennie dumped Jongin. This shit cray._

He had texted them both back to ask why, and they both filled him in on what had gone down, which made no sense to Chanyeol and did indeed sound “cray.”

_Baekhyun: Also, I found a drummer. You’re off the hook._

That one had made Chanyeol chuckle.

Now that he was back in LA, he was taking some time at home to unwind before heading to school the next day. Being on the road always made him miss his real bed, and as Sehun walked into his room, he could admit that he also missed his brother.

“Hey, you’re home,” Chanyeol said to Sehun, sitting up in his bed.

“I came by to pick up this new comforter mom bought me,” he said, sitting on his bed with him and facing him. “She’s convinced it’s somehow colder in Eagle Rock, even though we all know it’s colder here on the coast than it is inland.”

“You know she just looks for excuses to fuss over you,” Chanyeol then said with a laugh.

“It’s hard being the baby,” Sehun lamented, and Chanyeol smacked his knee for it.

“I don’t even want to hear it,” Chanyeol told him when Sehun snickered. “So what’s been going on with you?”

“Nothing,” Sehun shrugged. “Did you hear about Jongin and Jennie breaking up?”

“I did,” Chanyeol said, still thinking it was crazy. “The way Jisoo and Baekhyun explained it to me, it sounds like Jongin did nothing wrong and Jennie dumped him so she could date a celeb or something.”

“Yeah, that’s what Rosé said,” Sehun said, looking pensive. “I feel really bad for Jongin.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol agreed, even though he wasn’t as close to Jongin as he was to Kyungsoo and Jongdae, he still definitely felt bad for him. “Breakups are really awful.”

“I hope I never have to go through one,” Sehun said, but then he smiled, and when Chanyeol gave him a questioning look, he explained, “I was just thinking about something Johnny said.”

“What did Johnny say?” Chanyeol assumed it had to do with the breakup.

“No, he just,” Sehun stopped and smiled again, “Have I mentioned to you that he really likes Rosé?”

Chanyeol’s eyebrows darted straight up. “No, you have not.”

“He really likes Rosé,” Sehun said, emphasizing the point. “Like really. He’s had a crush on her since Jongdae’s birthday party at the karaoke. So yesterday he told me that he keeps waiting for Rosé and Shay to break up so he can ask Rosé out, and it just makes me laugh every time I think about it.”

Chanyeol had to agree as he let out a disbelieving laugh. “Are you serious? How can he like her? She’s insane.”

“Johnny’s a really good guy,” Sehun explained, “And maybe a little idealistic. He thinks that Rosé just needs someone who can be there for her and show her that she can have fun in less dangerous ways.”

“And he thinks he can tame her?” Chanyeol knew that even at his most idealistic, he never would have thought that. “I hate to break it to him, but…”

“No, I know,” Sehun agreed. “I’ve told him that’s not how Rosé works. She doesn’t need someone to save her. She is who she is, and how she chooses to live her life works for her.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nodded, but then shook his head thinking about how crazy the things she did actually were. “Have her parents really not figured out she’s not in college yet?”

“No,” Sehun confirmed. “Her parents don’t check up on her a lot, and when they do, she just uses whatever Jisoo’s done in school to tell them what she’s doing.”

“Amazing,” Chanyeol said, his eyes widening at the idea of this. “Could you imagine if one of us had tried to pull that off?”

“How?” Sehun said, horrified by the mere idea. “They drove us to college. They helped us move in. They made sure there was no way we could be lying about it.”

Chanyeol lost his smile a little at the truth of their situation and said, “Imagine having parents that didn’t care enough to help you move in at school. I mean, if she had gone to school far way that would make more sense, but they’re in the same town.”

“Her aunt and uncle don’t even check up on her now that she doesn’t live with them anymore,” Sehun said in understanding. “She keeps trying to get her parents’ attention though. She knows they’re seeing the pictures of her with Jennie at the clubs. Her mom told her to stop partying so much and to study more. Rosé said she couldn’t stop laughing for twenty minutes straight after she hung up.”

“What are we going to do with her?” Chanyeol said, not even able to imagine what Rosé’s future looked like.

“Nothing,” Sehun said with a confident smile. “She’ll be fine. I used to worry about her a lot, but now that I know her so well, I know that she’s more in control of things than we think.”

“I hope so,” Chanyeol said, not as sure about that as his brother was, and then Chanyeol thought about his upcoming coffee date that week and realized that Sehun was the perfect person to ask about it. “Hey, so you’ve been getting to know Yixing really well, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Sehun said, and he lit up in a way that Chanyeol hadn’t expected. “He’s such a great guy.”

Chanyeol didn’t feel like bursting his bubble by saying that maybe “great” was an overstatement, but he nodded anyway then said, “He wants to have coffee with me so he can get to know me better.”

“You should,” Sehun said, smiling at the idea, “He’s really fun to talk to.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Chanyeol stated, “I guess I’m just confused as to why he wants to get to know me better. Has he mentioned anything to you about me?”

Sehun pursed his bottom lip in thought then shook his head and said, “No. We only ever really talk about social issues, and of course, dancing. He’ll sometimes ask me about everyone when he’s trying to understand how everyone met or is trying to remember who was friends with who first, but it’s all really generic.”

“Huh, okay,” Chanyeol said, not sure what to make of that. “I guess I’ll go have coffee with him and get to know him better.”

“You’ll have to tell me how it goes,” Sehun said, and Chanyeol promised he would. Sehun then seemed to remember something and asked, “You’re still going to Rosé’s birthday party, right?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, a little confused by the question. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“She’s concerned about people not showing up because of the breakup,” Sehun explained, and Chanyeol said “ah” in understanding. “Yeah, since Jongin won’t be going anymore, Kyungsoo and Jongdae are out, which means Taeyong and Wendy are out, as are Wendy’s friends. And then Lisa wanted to skip it, but she’s only going because it’s Rosé. Baekhyun’s not going either, but Lucas said he might still stop by. Yixing’s not going since Kyungsoo’s not going.”

“Wow,” Chanyeol said, his eyebrows raising at this information. He hadn’t even thought of that as a fallout from the breakup. “Wait, why isn’t Baekhyun going?”

“Oh, he’s going to the sleepover that Kyungsoo and Jongdae are doing for Jongin instead. Since sleepover is the concept for Rosé’s party, they decided to do their own guys-night sleepover at Kyungsoo’s parents’ house. At least that’s what Rosé told me when she was yelling all upset about losing all her guests because of Jennie’s dumb decision.”

Chanyeol couldn’t help the frown that came over his face. He definitely would rather be with them at their sleepover than at Rosé’s.

“I kinda want to go to that instead,” he admitted to Sehun.

“Oh no,” Sehun said, looking suddenly worried. “Don’t abandon Rosé’s party too. Please. She’s already really upset about this. You have to come. She literally snapped at Jennie asking her why she couldn’t wait until after her party to break up with him.”

“Wow,” Chanyeol said, although he did understand why she’d be upset about the timing. “I mean, yeah, sure, I’ll still come. But I might not stay for the whole thing.”

“Thanks,” Sehun said, looking a bit relieved. “She’ll really appreciate it.”

Chanyeol did feel kind of bad for Rosé, but he knew she’d enjoy herself just fine with her other friends. He, however, wasn’t sure how much fun he would have if he couldn’t hang out with the people he normally hung out with. He had lost all the boys for the night, and the idea of hanging out with his brother at a party like that wasn’t his idea of a great time no matter how much he loved his brother.

“Look at you two,” their mom said, standing in the doorway all of a sudden and looking at them with too much fondness for Chanyeol not to laugh at. “It’s like when you were little kids. You both should move back home.”

“What happened to converting our rooms into collection spaces?” Sehun teased.

“We only need one,” she waved off. “You both can sleep in here, and we’ll just convert your room.”

“That sounds like a terrible idea,” Chanyeol said, even as he laughed about it.

“Your dad wants seafood for dinner, so I made reservations at Mastro’s for six o’clock,” she informed them, and Chanyeol groaned.

“He doesn’t want seafood then,” Chanyeol whined.

“Every time we go there,” Sehun whined as well, “he says he wants seafood and ends up ordering steak.”

“Every single time,” Chanyeol emphasized.

“If your father changes his mind, then he changes his mind,” she waved off. “What do you want from him?”

“But he never wants seafood,” Chanyeol insisted.

“When we go,” Sehun said sounding upset, “he gets steak and complains that if he knew he had wanted steak he would’ve gone to Larsen’s.”

“Every single time,” Chanyeol reiterated. “Just change our reservations to Larsen’s and save us all from the misery.”

“Yeah,” Sehun nodded. “That.”

“You two are ridiculous,” she said, ignoring them and telling them to be ready to go by 5:30.

Chanyeol collapsed backward onto his bed and let out a big sigh, which Sehun imitated.

“This is why I don’t come home,” Sehun said, and Chanyeol chuckled at him.

“I knew you were going to like college,” Chanyeol told him, “But I didn’t know you were going to like it this much. You are such a nerd.”

Sehun gave him a smile full of pride but then said, “I know it seems weird, but being away at school makes me feel like I have freedom. Mom’s just so overbearing sometimes about things, and it’s nice to come home to my dorm after classes and not be asked a million questions about what I accomplished or be told that I have potential to do this or that.”

“I get it,” Chanyeol said, reaching out to give Sehun’s shoulder a little squeeze. “It’s just because you’re shy. She feels she needs to push you all the time and get you to open up. But I get why you feel that you can breathe while you’re away.”

“Yeah,” Sehun said, looking appreciative that Chanyeol understood.

They did end up at Mastro’s for dinner, and their dad did say he wanted a steak and that they should’ve gone to Larsen’s, and Chanyeol and Sehun couldn’t stop snickering for a good five minutes about it, even as their mom shot them a glare to stop and leave their dad alone.

***

Later that week, just as Chanyeol had agreed to, he met up with Yixing at a coffee shop in Koreatown. Chanyeol didn’t know exactly what to expect from this meeting, but he decided to go into it with an open mind and to try and not be too judgmental of Yixing even though he knew he had hurt Kyungsoo when they had been kind of together.

“Thanks so much for meeting me,” Yixing told him with a big smile, and Chanyeol noticed his deep dimples.

“Yeah, no worries,” Chanyeol said, also smiling, and taking a seat then setting his caramel latte down on the wooden table carefully since it was hot.

“I know you probably think it’s weird that I reached out to you,” Yixing offered, and Chanyeol raised his eyebrows then nodded.

“Yeah, a little weird,” Chanyeol admitted. “But Soo said you wanted to get to know me better, though I’m not sure why.”

Yixing nodded and smiled at him, clearly having anticipated that. He stirred his own coffee as if thinking through his thoughts.

“I’ve been gone for a long time,” Yixing then told him. “It’s crazy how much has changed. In high school, Kyungsoo, Jongdae, and Jongin were inseparable and they were only friends with each other really. But now, Jongdae’s a dad, Jongin has a career, and Kyungsoo went and found all these new friends. Taeyong, Lucas, Logan, you.”

“Well, he joined a frat,” Chanyeol pointed out, “so that helped.”

“Which is also crazy,” Yixing chuckled. “I wouldn’t have ever bet money on that happening.”

“Yeah, he didn’t seem like he was someone who was a joiner in high school,” Chanyeol said, wanting to segue to find out more about the Kyungsoo he had never met. “What was he like?”

“He was kind of a joiner,” Yixing said, eyes darting to the side momentarily in thought, “If it was something he was interested in.” Yixing nodded as if having confirmed this for himself. “He was part of Theater, Drama Club, and when I introduced him to the gay scene, he joined right into that as well.”

“You were the one that introduced him to that?” Chanyeol said, not hiding the surprised look on his face. “I thought… I mean, Kyungsoo told me about you and him, and he said you were in the closet back then.”

“I was,” Yixing stated. “But one of my best friends at the time, Amber, wasn’t. And I’d hang out with her at the clubs and house parties. And when Kyungsoo and I became friends, I started bringing him with us.”

“So, you weren’t really in the closet,” Chanyeol said, trying to understand. “You were just in the closet to your parents and publicly.”

Yixing let out a bit of an exasperated sigh and took a sip of his coffee.

“I was very closeted even to my friends who knew,” Yixing said, but it still didn’t make sense to Chanyeol. “I told everyone I was straight and just experimenting since I was there and seeing what everyone else was doing. I never told Amber or anyone else back then that I was gay.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, brows furrowing, even more confused now. “Okay. But you knew?”

“I didn’t,” Yixing replied. “I thought there was something wrong with me that I found Kyungsoo attractive and wanted to be with him. I kept making a lot of excuses for it because I didn’t understand it. It wasn’t until I left home and went to college that I met someone and it all finally clicked.”

“Because it wasn’t just Kyungsoo anymore,” Chanyeol deduced, and Yixing gave him a soft smile.

“Right,” Yixing nodded.

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, definitely understanding that. “I recently went through the same thing.”

Yixing didn’t seem surprised to hear this, and instead, he gave him another smile and nodded.

“I had a feeling,” Yixing told him, and Chanyeol raised his eyebrows again at him. “I kept noticing at the parties how you and Kyungsoo looked at each other. I asked him if there was something going on between you, and he said ‘no,’ that you guys were just friends.”

“We are just friends,” Chanyeol told him, wondering why his nerves were starting to feel on edge.

“He also told me you were straight,” Yixing mentioned, and Chanyeol’s eyes widened a little, then went back to their normal size

Chanyeol lifted his cup to take a sip of his coffee, which was still hot, but at least drinkable now.

“So, is this why you wanted to have coffee with me?” Chanyeol asked him, having at least figured out now what this was all about.

Yixing gave him a humble smile that answered the question, then said, “Kyungsoo told me that you guys made out.”

“We did,” Chanyeol told him, not sure why he felt defensive now. “And he didn’t want to keep doing that with me after that because he was scarred by how you treated him when you guys were together.”

Chanyeol noticed a tiny flinch pass through Yixing at the accusation, but he seemed to handle it and move on, keeping the polite smile on his face.

“I’ve already apologized to Kyungsoo for all the shit I put him through,” Yixing told him, “And we’re working on a renewed friendship. And if you guys want to blame me for things not progressing between the two of you, then I’m here to help.”

“Help?” Chanyeol asked, unsure of what he could possibly mean by that.

“It is painfully obvious that the two of you are into each other,” Yixing told him, and Chanyeol wanted to laugh in his face.

“Are we?” Chanyeol asked, the sarcasm thick. “You noticed that but missed the obvious part where he has a boyfriend that he’s totally into? Kyungsoo’s not into me. He’s into Taeyong.”

“So you admit that you’re totally into him?” Yixing said, raising a challenging eyebrow.

Chanyeol hated how much his body always betrayed him in situations like this. Even if he had wanted to lie and say “no,” the blush on his face gave him away.

“It doesn’t matter,” Chanyeol said.

“It does matter,” Yixing told him, gently, and Chanyeol paid closer attention. “I came in as an outsider, had no idea the two of you had any history like that, and suspected it based on how you act with each other. Kyungsoo doesn’t act that way with Taeyong at all. Have you actually ever told Kyungsoo how you feel about him?”

“No,” Chanyeol said, not having even told him that he had realized he was bi yet. He didn’t see the point with Taeyong in the picture.

“I made that same mistake,” Yixing told him, “I wish I’d had the courage back then that I discovered in college. I think a lot about how things could’ve been between us and how much I missed out on with him because I was too scared.”

“I’m not scared,” Chanyeol clarified for him. “If he and Taeyong ever break up, I’ll let him know how I feel.”

“I respect that you respect their relationship,” Yixing said and paused to take another sip of his coffee. “But the thing is, you’re not being honest with each other, and that can come back to bite both of you in the asses. You guys really should talk about it, and then Kyungsoo can decide if he wants to stay with Taeyong or try things out with you instead.”

Chanyeol felt excited at the thought of Kyungsoo wanting to be with him instead, but then he narrowed his eyes, wondering how they had gotten from point A to point B.

“You’re assuming that Kyungsoo even likes me anymore in that way,” Chanyeol pointed out to him.

“I swear,” Yixing said, scoffing a bit, “Talking to you is like talking to him. How can you both be this obtuse? It’s honestly incredible.”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol said, furrowing his brows.

Yixing sighed and explained, “I know what I saw. You two are into each other. That’s it. That’s the whole story. You guys should talk through your feelings for each other and decide what’s next.”

“Wait,” Chanyeol said, as it dawned on him why Yixing might be so sure. “Did Kyungsoo tell you he was into me?”

“Talk to him,” Yixing said again, a bit more forcefully, but laughing afterwards in disbelief. “Honestly,” he then said to himself.

Chanyeol’s lips twisted to the side as he tried to think about this, but he realized that he wouldn’t even know how to talk to Kyungsoo about his feelings for him. He liked him and wished he could try being his boyfriend instead, sure. But mostly, he wanted to kiss him again. It was hard to take naps with him and resist the urge to lean in and kiss him.

“We’re the same age, I think,” Yixing then said, breaking him out of his thoughts. “We graduated the same year.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol nodded. “Yeah, I’m a junior this year. I’m 21.”

“Me too. Well, I’m 21, but the junior thing is a work in progress,” Yixing explained. “I have some catching up to do.”

“Yeah, Kyungsoo told me,” Chanyeol admitted, and Yixing smiled in a way that indicated he had figured that.

“Your brother told me you were a music major,” Yixing then continued, and Chanyeol looked at him confused for a moment.

“Are you really trying to get to know me now?” Chanyeol had to ask.

“Yes,” Yixing said, looking way too amused by him. “I did mean it that I wanted to get to know you better. When Kyungsoo told me about how you reacted to him after you guys made out, I told him that I knew exactly what you were going through. I’ve been in the same situation as you before. So, I wanted to get to know you better and maybe be here for you if you had any questions or wanted someone to talk to.”

That made a lot more sense now, but Chanyeol wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to Yixing, of all people, about these kinds of things.

“I already have someone I talk to about things like this,” Chanyeol let him know. “But thanks for the offer, I guess.”

“Is it Baekhyun?” Yixing asked, and he seemed a bit fond at the idea.

“Uh, no. Someone else,” Chanyeol said, then realized that Baekhyun did technically fall under the category as well.

“Oh, I had assumed,” Yixing said, looking over his shoulder as if contemplating getting something to eat to go with his coffee. “Baekhyun is one of Kyungsoo’s friends I’d also like to get to know better.” He looked back at Chanyeol and explained. “I had never met him before now. Kyungsoo would mention him back when we were younger.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, remembering how weird it had been when he and Kyungsoo had realized they both knew him. “He’s one of my best friends. It was funny when Soo and I realized we both knew him.”

“I bet,” Yixing said, looking entertained by the idea, and it was the first time that Chanyeol had thought that maybe he should lower his guard a little. Kyungsoo had told him about why Yixing was back after all, and why he wanted to be his friend, so maybe Chanyeol could be a little nicer and try and be his friend too. He imagined that Kyungsoo would really like that.

“My brother mentioned you weren’t going to Rosé’s birthday party anymore,” Chanyeol decided to bring up.

“Oh, yeah,” Yixing nodded, “Since Kyungsoo isn’t going, I didn’t see the point.”

“My brother’s going,” Chanyeol reminded him. “You guys have become friends, haven’t you?”

Yixing seemed to light up more at the mention of his brother, which almost mirrored the way that Sehun had lit up.

“I don’t know if we’re friends yet,” Yixing chuckled, “But I like your brother a lot. He’s really smart and nice. I’d go to hang out with him, but I don’t want to be a third wheel to him and his friends. They should just be having fun themselves.”

“I promise that my brother wouldn’t feel that way,” Chanyeol assured him. “My brother likes hanging out with you too.” At least that was the impression Chanyeol had gotten from talking to him about Yixing.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Yixing said.

“You should come to the party anyway,” Chanyeol insisted. “I have to go because I promised Sehun that I wouldn’t bail on it too since everyone I mostly hang out with wouldn’t be there anymore either.”

“I was surprised that Jongin and Jennie’s breakup had such a fallout,” Yixing admitted to him. “I don’t think I realized how the group split up in terms of who was on whose side.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol sighed, “Jongin and Jennie dating brought our groups together, but I’m only friends with Jennie through my other best friend Jisoo. I’ve become closer to Kyungsoo and Jongdae, which makes sense because Baek is friends with them. I’d much rather be at that sleepover than at Rosé’s party.”

“I bet,” Yixing said with a knowing smirk, and Chanyeol almost sputtered in defense.

“Not because of Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol clarified anyway. “Just because I talk to and hang out with Baek, Dae, and Soo, more than I do with Jisoo, Rosé, and Jennie.”

“You don’t hang out with Jongin and Lisa?” Yixing asked.

“Even less than the others,” Chanyeol told him. “I like Lisa a lot, but she and I don’t interact a lot, even at the parties. And Jongin…” Chanyeol was never sure how to feel about Jongin. “I like Jongin just fine, but I don’t talk to him a lot. Oh, except that time after Jongdae’s birthday party when he took us back to his place to sleep it off. His family was really nice.”

Yixing looked pensive for a moment, then said, “Jongin hates me. Jongdae doesn’t like me either, but Jongin literally hates me. Even back then. He’s really protective of his friends.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, “well, I’m sure, over time, that might change.” He didn’t know Jongin well enough to know if that was true, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“Doubtful,” Yixing said with a shrug, “But it’s fine. I don’t need Jongin to like me. When I first got back, I tried to reconnect with some of my old friends. Amber and Kyungsoo namely. Amber’s too busy with her new life to really hang out with me, and part of me thinks that’s an excuse. I think she was really upset about the Kyungsoo thing as well so she’s not that interested in continuing to be friends with me. Kyungsoo is being nice enough to let us try and work on a friendship again, but given his new friends and life, I feel like an outlier. So, I’ve been working on making some new friends instead.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, thinking this made sense. “How’s that going?”

“Okay,” Yixing said, smiling at him. “The guys at the club are really cool. Well most of them. There’s always the one diva, but the other guys are cool, and I’ve been trying to hang out with them more.”

“That’s good then,” Chanyeol said, almost giving him a thumbs up but then thinking that might be too corny.

“It is,” Yixing agreed. “I’m actually really jealous of Kyungsoo, Jongin, and Jongdae’s relationship. It’s like they’re their own little family. I lost my family, so I’m trying to figure out how to make a new one for myself.”

“You will,” Chanyeol assured him. “Jisoo and Baekhyun are like my second family. It’ll take some time, but you’ll find the right people and have a great family.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Yixing said, giving him an appreciative smile.

“So back to Rosé’s party,” Chanyeol then said, “You’re coming. I’m not going for long, but maybe we can show up at the same time and hang out then leave. That way Rosé isn’t as upset that everyone bailed.”

“I actually work that night,” Yixing told him, “But it means a lot to me that you’d still want me to come. Thank you.”

“The more the merrier, right?” Chanyeol said, and Yixing chuckled and agreed.

They continued their casual conversation, with Chanyeol filling in some other details about the friends and the group for Yixing, who, just like Sehun had said, seemed interested in learning about everyone. Chanyeol wondered if Yixing had pinned some of his hopes on finding his family with them. He would have tried that strategy as well if he was in the same situation since there were a lot of personalities to pick from. If Chanyeol had to guess who Yixing would get along with best, he thought that he would also pick Sehun, and Chanyeol realized that Yixing actually reminded him of Sehun a little bit, only not as sweet as his little brother naturally was. Also, Yixing had an arrogance about him that Sehun did not possess at all. And then Chanyeol had the thought that if Yixing hat that arrogance now after everything he’d gone through, he must have been nearly insufferable back when he and Kyungsoo were together. No wonder Jongin probably hated him.

***

The problem with having had coffee with Yixing was that, in the days that followed, Chanyeol couldn’t shake the conversation from his mind. Even when Kyungsoo came over for nap time, Chanyeol would stare at him as he slept and wonder if he still liked him like that, if he wanted to kiss him as badly as Chanyeol wanted to kiss him, if he would break up with Taeyong to be with him.

It got to the point where Chanyeol finally had to bring it up to Minseok, who he had acknowledged to be his de facto voice of reason.

“What’s up?” Minseok asked after they were done with practice and Chanyeol had asked him to stick around for a bit.

They sat in the bleachers of the practice gym and Chanyeol toweled sweat off his face, trying to think of how best to bring up what he wanted to talk about, but he knew Minseok was already anticipating some issue so Chanyeol just asked, “Have I ever told you about Yixing?”

It took Minseok a moment to identify the name, but then he nodded, “The guy who hangs out with your brother at the parties and who used to be Kyungsoo’s ex.”

“Right,” Chanyeol said, glad he remembered. “So he and Kyungsoo were together back in high school. He’s my age actually, so I guess Kyungsoo was a junior and Yixing was a senior. Anyway…” Chanyeol told Minseok all about their not-great relationship, and how it had led to Kyungsoo not wanting to keep doing things with Chanyeol.

“Makes sense,” Minseok nodded.

“So out of nowhere last weekend, Yixing texts me and asks if I want to meet up for coffee,” Chanyeol continued on, and Minseok raised his eyebrows. “He said he wanted to get to know me better, which was weird, but okay. So, I meet up with him and it turns out that what he really wanted to do was ask me about my feelings for Kyungsoo.”

“Oh,” Minseok said, surprised by this as well. “Like he’s jealous?”

“No, more like he thought I had them,” Chanyeol explained. “And I think he implied that Kyungsoo had them for me, but like, Kyungsoo has a boyfriend, and you’ve seen him and Taeyong interact at the parties. He obviously has feelings for his boyfriend.”

“He spends more time looking at you at the parties than he does his boyfriend,” Minseok said without missing a beat.

Chanyeol blinked, then blinked again.

“Yixing’s right,” Minseok said as if having to explain what he meant by that. “It is obvious. I’m pretty sure all your friends have noticed it too. I know Jisoo has. We talked about it during one of our personal training sessions she conned me into.”

Chanyeol stared at the empty court while he let this process, and then he said, “So then you’d agree with Yixing that I should talk to Kyungsoo about it?”

“Absolutely,” Minseok said, again with no hesitation.

“Even though he has a boyfriend?”

“You had feelings for him while you were with Nayeon,” Minseok pointed out to him. “If Kyungsoo had told you how he felt about you while you were with her, you would have ended things with her to be with him because you know that he’s who you really wanted. It’s not fair to Taeyong for Kyungsoo to keep stringing him along when he has feelings for you.”

He realized that this made some sense, and he felt pretty bad for Taeyong, but the point had been made. If Yixing, Jisoo, Minseok, and whoever else had noticed, then they did need to talk.

“Shit,” Chanyeol said, leaning forward with his arms on his legs and clasping his hands as his brows furrowed. “How do I even have this conversation with him?”

Minseok gave him a warm smile and said, “I wouldn’t stress about it too much. You and Kyungsoo always naturally fall into conversation. The next time you guys are hanging out, tell him how you feel. Have you even told him you’re bi yet? Your friends seem to be confused about this too.”

“No,” Chanyeol ran his hand through his hair, not knowing why he felt nervous all of a sudden. “Only Baekhyun knows. Well, Baekhyun and Nayeon and Sana.”

“You definitely should at least tell him that,” Minseok said, and then he sighed and added, “I’m not sure why you’re keeping yourself in the closet. Your friends know. If you admitted it to yourself, then you need to start admitting it to them.”

“I just don’t want my parents to find out,” Chanyeol explained, twisting his lips to the side. “I’m not ready to disappoint them yet. Or disown me like Yixing’s parents did to him.”

“Is that what you really think would happen?” Minseok looked at him with a bit of concern.

“No,” Chanyeol conceded. “They wouldn’t disown me, but they’d probably be disappointed. Well, my mom would be disappointed. I’m not sure my dad would care much. He usually just puts up with my weird things.”

“I agree that coming out to your parents is harder,” Minseok assured him. “But you should at least tell your friends. Like I said, they pretty much already know. It’s a badly kept secret.”

“I hate that I’m like this,” Chanyeol admitted, sitting up straight again. “I can’t keep secrets to save my life because my actions, and facial expressions, and body language always give everything away. My brother is good at hiding things because he’s the opposite, but even when I try not to, I react to everything.”

“You shouldn’t hate that about yourself,” Minseok said, giving a small laugh and patting him on the back. “That’s a great thing about you. You’re so animated. It makes for great coverage on the sports wrap-ups at night. Being bad at lying is a good thing. It means you shouldn’t do it. So, don’t.”

Chanyeol nodded, then was suddenly overcome with a frightening thought as he looked at Minseok with wide eyes.

“You said my friends pretty much know,” Chanyeol thought out loud, “Do you think my parents suspect?”

“I have no idea,” Minseok shrugged. “I’ve never met your parents, but if they know you well, they may not be surprised on the day you decide to tell them.”

Chanyeol was terrified by what this could mean, but then he thought about his mom, and she wasn’t the type to not say something if she suspected, so it must have meant that she didn’t suspect at all. Maybe he needed to stop going home so much so that she didn’t start to think things that he didn’t want her thinking.

This fear stayed on his mind once he was back in his apartment. As he showered, he wondered if he should text Sehun and ask him if their parents had ever mentioned anything to him about him in that way.

“No, that’s weird,” Chanyeol said to himself, and instead he finished his shower and switched his thoughts to Kyungsoo. He threw on some sweats and a T-shirt and put on the TV, settling into his couch and trying to figure out the best way to text Kyungsoo to tell him that they needed to talk.

He knew Kyungsoo was stuck doing a frat thing that night, so maybe he could tell him they should meet up for lunch. Or maybe he should just wait until Kyungsoo came over for their nap. But he couldn’t because he had a game tomorrow, so he’d be too busy for a nap.

A text interrupted his thoughts.

_Kris: You busy tonight? My girlfriend went home to her parents for the night and I’m bored and thinking about you._

If there was something that Chanyeol could use at that moment, it was a distraction.

_Chanyeol: Not busy. Sana’s at some sorority thing. Come over._

Chanyeol was grateful to have a reason to keep his mind from overthinking things. He tidied up the apartment and had it looking presentable enough by the time he heard the knock on the door. He opened it to find Kris standing there holding up a six-pack of beer.

“I know you’re in season, but I felt like we could pre-party for your inevitable win tomorrow night,” Kris explained, and Chanyeol laughed.

“I like the way you think,” Chanyeol said, giving him a kiss for the thought, which Kris reciprocated by wrapping his free arm around Chanyeol’s waist to pull him in, deepening it before pushing them both back into his place while still kissing. Chanyeol barely threw the door shut before Kris was backing him right into his couch.

The beer was forgotten, and Chanyeol focused instead on making out with Kris, who he had actually missed. Ever since his girlfriend had gotten back from her study abroad program, Chanyeol had been seeing less of him this semester, and whenever they did manage to hang out, it usually ended up just like this, with shirts off before either could barely finish saying “hello” to each other.

Chanyeol couldn’t deny how much he liked these little bursts of excitement he felt when Kris touched him, and kissed him, and made his body feel like it was on fire. Part of Chanyeol wished that Kris and his girlfriend would break up so that he could make Chanyeol feel like this all the time, which made him feel a little guilty, much like he felt whenever he thought about being the cause for Kyungsoo and Taeyong breaking up.

But Kris made him stop thinking about that quickly by sucking on his neck, which made Chanyeol groan and press his hips up against his.

A knock on the door startled them, and then a voice said, “Hey, your door’s… open.”

Kris and Chanyeol both sat up straight, shirtless, panting, and Chanyeol’s heart beat even more rapidly as he saw Kyungsoo standing there, his eyes wide as he looked at them.

“Shit,” Chanyeol said, and then he watched as Kyungsoo turned around and walked right back out. “Shit.”

“Shit,” Kris said too, but then looked at Chanyeol confused, “Wait, why are we freaking out?”

“Nothing,” Chanyeol said, getting out from under Kris and finding where his shirt had landed so he could run after Kyungsoo.

He didn’t bother getting his shoes on as he ran out and found Kyungsoo power walking toward the sidewalk. He caught up with him, yelling his name for him to stop, and when Kyungsoo didn’t, he got in front of him and put his hands out for him to stop.

“Soo,” Chanyeol said, and Kyungsoo did stop then, staring at him, looking upset in a way he hadn’t seen him look before. “I thought you were busy tonight,” he said, and it hadn’t occurred to him before that if Kris was suddenly free, it might have meant that Kyungsoo was too. Kyungsoo hadn’t mentioned what the frat thing was, but clearly, it was over.

“I was,” Kyungsoo told him, “But obviously not as busy as you.” He was pissed, and Chanyeol knew he needed to start explaining things, but his mind was so mixed up that he wasn’t sure what to explain first. “I thought you were straight, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo then spat at him instead. “You’re straight, and you wanted to experiment, but you’re totally straight. Or is Kris who you decided to experiment with? Does he know you’re straight?”

“No,” Chanyeol said, and he shook his head to clear his brain, “I mean, yes. I mean, Kris knows I’m bi.” Kyungsoo blinked at him, and Chanyeol knew he had said that in the worst way possible. “I mean that I found out I was bi, while I was experimenting with Kris, and I was actually going to tell you. I was going to text you to talk about this tomorrow because I was going to finally come out to you.” Shit. Why had this happened like this? He was going to confront the issue, but life decided to do this to him instead? How was that fair?

“Sure you were,” Kyungsoo said, crossing his arms.

“I was! You can ask Minseok. Hell, you can ask Yixing. He was the one that told me I had to be honest about my feelings for you, and I talked to Minseok, and he agreed, so I was going to text you to meet up for lunch tomorrow because I couldn’t wait until nap time because of my game.” Chanyeol pleaded with his eyes for Kyungsoo to believe him. He had to believe him.

Kyungsoo seemed to hear him, and his brows furrowed. He sucked in his bottom lip, then asked, “Your feelings for me?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, letting out a breath of relief. “My feelings for you. I have them. I’ve had them for a while, and I’ve been in denial of them until… well until I accepted that I was bi. But you were with Taeyong, so I knew that I couldn’t do anything about it, so I just waited, I guess secretly hoping that you and Taeyong would break up someday so that I could take my chance.”

Chanyeol watched Kyungsoo’s expression turned to a stunned one, and Chanyeol decided to keep going.

“Yixing didn’t want to meet me for coffee to get to know me better. He wanted me to talk to you about how I felt. He said that I needed to be honest with you. So, I’m being honest with you. I really like you, Kyungsoo. I think I’ve liked you since we kissed in my room. No, I think I liked you before then. I think I liked you from the moment I invited you over for our first movie night, and I just didn’t realize it because I thought I was still straight then.”

Kyungsoo bit his lip again, but Chanyeol had much more to say.

“The amount of times I’ve thought about kissing you again is insane. The amount of times I wanted to kiss you while we were napping. The amount of times I wanted you to spend the night so we could watch movies, and talk, and be around each other. The amount of times I wished we were at the parties together. The amount of times…”

“I get it,” Kyungsoo said, and Chanyeol looked at him, watching as he seemed to be thinking about everything Chanyeol had said. At least he hoped he was. “And you and Kris?” He loved the look on Kyungsoo’s face at that moment. It was one of hope, and it made Chanyeol’s heart start beating fast again but in a much better way than before.

“We just hook up. Like me and Sana,” Chanyeol explained. “He has a girlfriend, and they’re in an open relationship. Our thing is nothing serious.”

Kyungsoo gave a slow nod, he was understanding and processing, and Chanyeol hoped that this weird turn of events tonight worked in his favor instead of ruining everything.

“So, you like me, huh?” Kyungsoo then said, giving him a small smile.

Chanyeol beamed. He knew he was beaming because he could feel the muscles in his face tighten in a way they hadn’t in a long time.

“A lot,” Chanyeol said, “But do you still like me?”

“A lot,” Kyungsoo replied, and then his eyes turned downcast.

“This is the best day of my life,” Chanyeol said to him, but he lost the smile as he noticed that Kyungsoo wasn’t looking at him anymore. “What’s wrong?”

Kyungsoo looked at him, sucking his lips in for a moment, then saying, “I’ve never had to break up with someone before.”

Chanyeol passed his hand through his hair, to keep himself from sounding too excited when Kyungsoo obviously needed him to be calm and rational right now.

“It’s not fun,” Chanyeol acknowledged and then wondered if there was a reason that it might not be easy for Kyungsoo. “Do you want to break up with him?” He asked because he needed to be sure. He wanted the peace of mind that all of this was right. It felt right. It had to be right.

“No,” Kyungsoo said, and Chanyeol’s stomach dropped. “But yes, if it means… I mean, I guess I need to know some things first.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol nodded, “Like what?” Now his emotions were back to being nervous and unsure.

“Like.. after you told me tomorrow about being bi, were you going to tell everyone else? Were you going to come out?”

“I was going to tell my friends, but not my parents. I don’t know how to tell them yet,” Chanyeol admitted. Hoping that didn’t make Kyungsoo change his mind.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said as if mentally ticking things off a list. “And would you actually want to be my boyfriend? Like that’s how…”

“Yes,” Chanyeol said, cutting him off. “I want to be your boyfriend. I want to go on dates with you and hold hands with you and be the best boyfriend you’ve ever had.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said again. Another mental check on the checklist. And then he asked, “Even though you’re the big man on campus and all eyes are on you, you would still acknowledge me as your boyfriend if someone asked us, and you would hold my hand on campus, even knowing that people on campus know who you are, and you would acknowledge I was your boyfriend when I was at your games cheering you on?”

Chanyeol hesitated. He hadn’t thought of that. Like, yeah, of course, he wanted to hold Kyungsoo’s hand, but he hadn’t thought about what it would mean to hold his hand around campus and kiss him and let everyone see that they were together—that he was bi. That would mean he’d have to be completely out, and suddenly that thought made him more nervous than anything else.

“Glad I asked,” Kyungsoo said, running his hand through his hair and looking off to the side a little distressed.

“I hadn’t thought of all that,” Chanyeol said, furrowing his brows now. Shit. Could he do that?

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo then said to him, giving him a small supportive smile. “You’re not there yet. I get it. It’s okay.”

“I mean…” Now Chanyeol wanted to cry at this dilemma. “I want to be there. I think. I just haven’t even told everyone yet, and I don’t know… I haven’t even thought of what it would mean to be bi in public like that.”

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo said, and he didn’t lose his smile. “It’s enough to know that you have feelings for me. You’ll get there. And when you do, maybe I’ll be single again.”

“Or maybe you’ll be married,” Chanyeol said, exasperated with himself.

“Or maybe I’ll be married,” Kyungsoo snorted. “If you’re concerned about that, just don’t take so long. Figure it out sooner rather than later.”

“How?” Chanyeol said, wishing he could feel as lighthearted about this as Kyungsoo seemed. “I want to be with you.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo said, blinking and then saying it again, “I believe you. I know you’ve been struggling with these ideas for a long time. It won’t be as easy for you to get there as it was for me, but you are getting there. You’ve already made more progress than Yixing ever did. You actually admitted to having feelings for me and wanting to be with me.”

“How could he not admit those things to you?” Chanyeol wondered out loud. “I guess, the way I couldn’t admit it until now. God, we’re stupid. Yixing and I are both stupid. I’m going to get there, Soo. You might as well break up with Taeyong now because I’m going to figure this out and be okay with coming out.”

Kyungsoo seemed amused by this, but then he reached out and put his hand on Chanyeol’s face, letting his thumb slide over his cheek as he looked him in the eyes.

“Don’t force yourself to do anything that you might not be ready for,” Kyungsoo told him. “I promise that I’ll wait. I know you well enough to know your issues with this, and I don’t want you to make it worse by trying to prove something. You don’t have to prove anything to me, okay? I’m thankful that being with Kris has helped you push you out of your comfort zone a bit more and helped you accept that you’re okay with certain things now that you weren’t okay with before. Keep doing that, and when you’re ready, ask me again to be yours.”

Chanyeol wanted to cry and protest that he could figure it out now, but he nodded, knowing Kyungsoo was right.

“I’m going to be the person you need me to be, and I’ll ask you again,” Chanyeol said, feeling himself get emotionally worked up.

“Don’t be the person I need you to be,” Kyungsoo said, taking his hand away from his face. Chanyeol suddenly hated the cold air of the night against his cheek. “Be the person you need to be for your own happiness and sanity.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, and his voice suddenly sounded small. “Does this mean no more naps until I figure it out?”

Kyungsoo bit his lip, but he nodded, and Chanyeol wanted to cry for real.

“We have feelings for each other,” Kyungsoo explained, even though he didn’t have to. “We need to not give into them like that. Not when I’m seeing someone else. I feel really guilty about it now. I didn’t realize the napping was a physical manifestation of that, but I guess I should have. I’m also stupid.”

“This is why we belong together,” Chanyeol said, and his emotions were saved from scattering all over the place when Kyungsoo laughed at his statement.

“Yeah, probably,” Kyungsoo agreed, and then he let out a deep breath and said, “I’m going to head home. We’ll talk later.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said, and as Kyungsoo walked by him, Chanyeol turned and said, “You’re still coming to my game tomorrow night, right? I mean, you’ll still come cheer on the team, right?”

Kyungsoo smiled and nodded again, “I’m your lucky charm, remember? Even without my red hoodie.”

Chanyeol smiled back, and Kyungsoo waved at him and turned around to keep walking back to his apartment building. Chanyeol kept watching him and said, “You are,” even though Kyungsoo was now too far away to hear it.

He headed back toward his own apartment, finding Kris sitting on the couch as he watched the TV.

“Hey,” Kris said, standing up when Chanyeol got back inside. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Chanyeol said, not even sure how to explain it or even what to tell him.

“So, you and Kyungsoo…” Kris said, letting the question trail off as he looked at him.

“It’s complicated,” Chanyeol said, but Kris seemed to have a twinkle in his eye as he watched him.

“I bet,” Kris remarked, “I’ve been wondering. I mean, you guys are obviously into each other.”

“Oh God,” Chanyeol said, whining as he plopped down to sit on the arm of his armchair. “Why was it so obvious to everyone else, but not obvious to him? I just told him that I had feelings for him, and he was surprised. Like how does this all work?”

Kris chuckled and said, “If any of us knew how any of this worked, we wouldn’t all be in the predicaments we’re in. Are you two getting together finally?”

“No,” Chanyeol said, feeling upset all over again about it. “I’m not out. I’m not… ready I guess.”

Kris nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I hear you. I’m not out either, so I one thousand percent hear you. I’m not sure I’ll ever be, but then again, I’m in a situation where I don’t have to be. I don’t envy your position.”

“Thanks for that,” Chanyeol said, giving him a sarcastic thumbs up that made Kris snort.

Then Kris nodded toward the beers, “Those are all yours since it seems you might need a good drink to get your thoughts sorted out tonight.”

Chanyeol nodded and stood up to walk him to the door.

“Thanks for understanding,” Chanyeol said, “I don’t think anything has to change between us for now, but I think I do need time alone tonight.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m free again,” Kris said, and he gave Chanyeol’s arm a supportive squeeze before leaving.

He did help himself to a beer, collapsing onto the couch and staring at the television thinking about how he had almost had Kyungsoo tonight. But he didn’t. Because he wasn’t out, and he wasn’t confident enough to say, “fuck it” and have a boyfriend without hiding it from the world.

But he knew Kyungsoo was right, and he knew Kyungsoo deserved a boyfriend that wasn’t ashamed to be with him—the way Taeyong was. He could do it. He could be like that.

But first, he figured he should wait for basketball season to be done. Once basketball season was done, he was going to come out to his parents and start his journey into an out and proud life. And then he’d ask Kyungsoo to be his. And then he’d have Kyungsoo.

And then everything would be perfect.


	23. Chapter 23

Jongin stared off at the framed portrait of a ballerina hanging on the wall of his sister’s dessert café. He wasn’t really looking at it as he ate his Oreo cream puff. He just stared, allowing himself to be hypnotized by the fairy lights just above it.

“So?” June asked, breaking him out of his trance.

He looked over at her, wondering when she had made her way over to the table from behind the counter.

“What’s the verdict?” she asked him.

“I like the croissants better,” Jongin said, looking at the cream puff in his hand and the bites he had taken from the other two flavors in front of him.

June sighed and took a seat, grabbing the honey butter cream puff, which had been his favorite.

“I liked that one the best,” he made sure to point out as she took a bite of it.

“That’s more helpful,” she told him, finishing it off before reaching across the table to pat his arm. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” he said, pouting as he put the rest of the Oreo cream puff down. He hadn’t had that great of an appetite in days.

“Want to fill up some bottles with strawberry milk?”

“No,” he said, frowning, and she gave him a slap on the arm and laughed. “What’s with the cream puffs anyway? You know mom and dad said that the success of a business is finding the specialty and sticking to it.”

“I have multiple specialties,” June said, looking over her shoulder to make sure her staff didn’t need her at the moment. “I perfected these cream puffs, but maybe I need to work on them a bit more if you’re not feeling them.”

“They’re good,” Jongin told her, not wanting his sister to think her efforts had gone to waste. “People are going to like them. Especially the honey butter one.”

“Maybe I’ll just unveil that one as a special next month and see how it does,” his sister conceded.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Jongin said. “Take the risk but play it safe.”

“You sound like dad,” June pointed out, giving him a warm look, and then she said, “It’s okay, Nini. I know it sucks and it hurts right now, but, based on all the fan mail Jonghee says you get, you’ll have a new girlfriend in no time.”

“I don’t want a new girlfriend,” Jongin said, feeling so tired by it all. “I know you guys don’t understand, but I genuinely liked my girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend.” He looked down at the wood grains on the table, wondering when he’d stop feeling so upset about this.

“I know you did,” June told him. “It was obvious that you did. It’s why mom and dad would get so worried about it. They knew you were in deep.”

“Well they don’t have to be worried anymore,” Jongin said with sarcasm, looking to the side and shaking his head.

“They’re not happy that this happened if that’s what you think. They’re as upset and confused as you are. Not for the same reasons, obviously, but they’re upset that you’re hurting and want to help in their own ways.”

“They are happy that I’m no longer with her,” Jongin said, not needing the truth to be covered up for him. “They just probably wish it had come from me instead of her.”

“I have this same issue with them,” June said, looking over again as a small line began to form, and Jongin knew she’d get up to go help soon. “It took me a long time to figure out that their concern didn’t mean that they wanted me to give up what made me happy. They were just concerned. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.”

Jongin watched his sister get up to go help out behind the counter, and he thought about what she said, remembering that sobering and upsetting conversation with his father after Jongdae’s birthday party. He never had once told him to break up with her, that was true, but even then, he could sense that’s what his parents had wanted. Sometimes words weren’t needed.

He then remembered what Jennie had told him when they had talked about it afterwards, when she had finally been honest in telling him that her parents didn’t approve of him. She had said that she didn’t care what they thought—that they already controlled every aspect of her life so she wouldn’t let them control her feelings for him.

So what had changed?

Had she lost those feelings along the way, or had her mother pressured her just enough for her to decide that she’d let her parents control that aspect of her life as well. Lisa had told him that Jennie’s mother had been more annoying than usual lately, but even she hadn’t thought it would lead to this.

He took out his phone and went to his Instagram app. He had unfollowed Jennie, which, along with her unfollowing him, had led to an insane amount of blog articles about how they had obviously broken up over the Summer Kyle drama. Yet still, he visited her page to see how she was moving on just fine without him.

Just an hour ago she had posted a cute picture of her eating a cupcake, saying she was taste testing the cupcakes she had made for her bestie’s birthday. He knew that later tonight, she’d post a picture of her in her outfit for the party, and he knew her outfit was a rose-pink satin slip dress to go along with the slumber party theme for the night. He already knew she was going to look perfect in every way, and he bit his lip, swiping out of the app before he broke down in his sister’s dessert café.

***

“Bagel Bites are ready,” Jongdae announced as the microwave beeped, and Jongin moved out of his way just in time as Jongdae rushed to take them out so he could put the next batch in.

Jongin had been given the task of emptying bags of tortilla chips into a large bowl, while Kyungsoo was in charge of the oven items—pizza rolls and chocolate chip cookies.

Baekhyun had picked up a selection of wings from Wing Stop and was arranging them onto a big platter, complete with the sauces.

“I was going to ask if you guys needed help,” Kyungsoo’s mother said coming into the kitchen, “But I see you have it all under control.”

“We might not have enough food,” Jongdae joked.

“Four boys,” Kyungsoo’s mother said with a laugh, “I wouldn’t be surprised. I remember how fast boxes of cereal went when both boys still lived at home.”

“Do you want some wings?” Baekhyun offered her.

“No, I’m fine. I have some leftovers I’m going to heat up, but thank you,” she told him, heading to the fridge to take out her food.

“My dad will probably want some,” Kyungsoo told him. “Can you make a small plate for him on the side?”

“What kind does he like?” Baekhyun asked as he grabbed a paper plate.

Jongin finished the bowls of chips and dips and took them out to the family room where they had set up their blankets and pillows for the night. He set the bowls down on the coffee table then went back to the kitchen to help bring the rest of the stuff.

They settled in with their packed plates of food, and Jongin tried to figure out where to start, opting for a Bagel Bite. He sat cuddled up on the couch with Kyungsoo, while Baekhyun relaxed in Kyungsoo’s dad’s armchair and Jongdae sat on the love seat perpendicular to them.

“Is anyone else getting bombarded with texts from Rosé or is it just me?” Jongdae asked as he chewed on his wing while looking at his phone.

“I have my phone on silent,” Baekhyun replied, “What’s she saying?”

“Well, this first text says, ‘I can’t believe you assholes aren’t coming to my party,” which is followed by another text of her in her black, lacey lingerie dress saying that this is what we’re missing.”

Baekhyun cackled, and Kyungsoo scrunched his nose, but Jongin wasn’t amused either way. It just made him think that what he was missing was seeing Jennie in her element, which was something he always looked forward to. The only thing he liked seeing more was when she was happy and content outside of her element, not having to be “on” for anyone.

“I got the picture too,” Kyungsoo then said, checking his phone, and then his smile went really wide.

“What?” Jongdae asked him, “Did she send you something else?”

“No,” Kyungsoo said, his cheeks getting puffy from smiling so wide, “Chanyeol sent me a picture of his outfit. He’s wearing a black and white striped pajama set and it looks really good on him.”

Jongin blinked and looked over at Kyungsoo, then looked between Jongdae and Baekhyun, who seemed to be saying something to each other without words.

“Soo,” Jongdae then said, appearing to be done with whatever non-verbal conversation had just transpired. “You’ve been really happy these past few days. Mind sharing with the class what that’s about?”

“Like, we’re happy you’re happy,” Baekhyun said, between sucking all of the meat off his wing, “But why are you so happy?”

Jongin hadn’t been aware that this was a thing that was happening, and he figured no one mentioned it to him because he was dealing with his own issues.

“I was going to wait to tell you guys tonight,” Kyungsoo told them, looking as if he had to mentally prepare for whatever he was going to tell them. “But… Chanyeol likes me.”

“We know,” Baekhyun said, and Jongdae shot him a look that made Baekhyun ask him, “What?”

“No, it’s okay,” Kyungsoo said, looking so giddy that Jongin was wondering if he was going delirious. “Apparently everyone knew that we liked each other except for us. Chanyeol thought I didn’t like him like that anymore because I have a boyfriend, and, well, Chanyeol always said he was straight, so obviously I thought he didn’t like me like that, but after I walked in on him and Kris making out, we had a…”

“Wait what?” Jongin said, almost dropping his plate.

“Kris your frat VP?” Jongdae asked, also looking stunned.

“Yeah, that Kris,” Kyungsoo confirmed, “They’ve been hooking up, which is what made Chanyeol realize that he was bi after all. But he hasn’t come out to anyone except apparently Baek, Jisoo, his friend Minseok, Nayeon, and Sana, and obviously me, so don’t let him know you know.”

“This is wild,” Jongdae said, mouth open in disbelief. “Okay, continue.”

“So yeah, we talked, and I was upset because he had told me he was straight, but here he was making out with Kris. That’s when he told me that he had feelings for me and that he wanted to be with me. But then I asked him if he was ready to come out and hold hands in public and stuff, and he wasn’t, so I told him I’d wait for him to be ready,” Kyungsoo nodded when he was done and popped a pizza roll into his mouth.

“Wow,” Jongdae said, looking at him with wide eyes.

“Wait,” Jongin then said, thinking about this, “What do you mean you’ll wait for him to be ready? And what about Taeyong?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, lifting his lip to the side a bit like a small snarl, “I plan on talking with Taeyong when I get back to LA. I have to tell him about this, and then I guess we’ll see what happens.”

“You’re not just going to break up with him?” Baekhyun asked.

“I don’t want to,” Kyungsoo admitted. “I really like being with him, but it’s not fair to him to just be with him while I’m waiting for Chanyeol to be ready to date me.”

“I’m glad you recognize that,” Jongin said, and Kyungsoo looked at him as if maybe he was a little offended by it.

“Obviously I recognize that,” Kyungsoo said, rolling his eyes, but then smiling again. “Anyway, I don’t want to think about it during our sleepover. I want to avoid reality for now.”

“I wish I could avoid reality,” Jongdae said, looking at his phone again, “But Rosé keeps sending me updates I didn’t ask for.”

“She must be drunk already,” Baekhyun said with a loud snicker.

Jongin figured that of course Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had finally found their way to confessing their feelings, and of course it happened right after he had been dumped because that’s the way life worked. It could never be just one thing that went wrong in his life, it always had to be a series of things, and Jongin wondered what could possibly go wrong next.

They tried to watch a movie while they ate, but it kept getting interrupted by more texts from the party, so much so that Jongin felt like they were attending it, only in the comfort of Kyungsoo’s living room instead and in pajamas that weren’t trying to impress anyone.

“Apparently Jisoo has a new man,” Jongdae told them.

“What?” Baekhyun said, checking his texts, “Oh God. He’s one of ours, Soo. He’s a UCLA Lambda named Evan.”

“Rosé is trying to sneak us a picture so we can… and there it is,” Jongdae said.

Jongin decided to take out his phone to see if he was getting texts as well, and when he saw that he wasn’t, he felt a weird pang go through his chest and put his phone down, leaning in toward Kyungsoo so he could see the texts on his.

“Jisoo would,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head at the picture, “He looks like every other white trust fund kid with a yacht.”

“Says the Asian trust fund kid with a yacht,” Jongdae said with a cackle.

“Says the other Asian trust fund kid with a yacht,” Baekhyun teased him back.

“I don’t have a yacht,” Jongdae fought back.

“Well you had a kid instead, so your parents probably figured you didn’t need a yacht too,” Baekhyun joked, and Jongdae threatened to throw a Bagel Bite at him.

“Wait,” Jongin said looking over at Baekhyun, “You have a yacht?”

“Emily’s dad has one,” Baekhyun clarified. “I, myself, do not. Although now I don’t think I’ll be invited as much out onto it, so maybe I should convince my mom to get me my own yacht.”

“Oh, I thought you were talking about you personally,” Jongdae said. “In that case, yes, my parents have a yacht.”

“See!” Baekhyun said. “You’re such an Evan.”

“I’m not an Evan!” Jongdae whined.

“You’re our Evan,” Kyungsoo said, with his hand over his heart, and even Jongin had to crack up at that.

Jongin then noticed another text come in from Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo tapped on it to see a picture Chanyeol sent from the couch he sat on, obviously in VIP, pretending to look bored, or maybe he actually was. Chanyeol followed the picture up with a message that said he wished he was there so they could disappear into their own corner and hang out again. Jongin looked at Kyungsoo to see his face light up anew.

And suddenly he thought about his conversation with his dad again, and his mother’s observations about Jennie, and what his sister had told him earlier that day at her café. And he realized that he may have now understood what she really meant because, even though Jongin thought Kyungsoo and Chanyeol getting together was the worst thing that could happen, he couldn’t deny that it was amazing to see Kyungsoo light up in this way.

He wanted Kyungsoo to be happy, but he was concerned. However, it didn’t change that he wanted Kyungsoo to be happy. Despite his concerns, if being with Chanyeol would give him that, then who was Jongin to interfere? So he decided to back off and let it be, just like he wished both his and Jennie’s parents had done.

“Here,” Jongin said, taking Kyungsoo’s phone from him, “Let me take a picture of you to send to him.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said, holding a Bagel Bite up and giving a big smile.

Jongin chuckled and took a couple of pictures, then handed his phone back to him. He looked over at Jongdae who was giving him a curious look, and Jongin just shrugged at him and mouthed, “Whatever,” which Jongdae seemed to understand by his nod.

They did manage to make it through the rest of the movie and then switched to playing video games. They were in the middle of playing _Overcooked_ on co-op mode when the phones started buzzing with messages again.

“What happened?” Kyungsoo asked, pausing the game so they could all look at their phones.

“Rosé did something,” Baekhyun said, furrowing his brows as he slid through his texts.

“Oh my God,” Jongdae said reading his phone before falling back onto the floor and cackling.

“Apparently Rosé said she wanted to do a threesome for her birthday,” Baekhyun told them as he read through his texts. “And Johnny yelled out that he volunteered as tribute.”

“Oh God,” Kyungsoo said, finally reading through the texts on his phone. “Someone save Johnny.”

“He’s actually doing it,” Baekhyun said, “Jisoo said that Sehun’s freaking out for Johnny’s safety.”

“I can’t breathe,” Jongdae said, rolling over on the floor as he laughed harder.

Jongin reached over to the coffee table to get his phone, seeing that it did light up with a text finally.

_Lisa: You are so lucky you’re not at this party._

_Jongin: I heard about the threesome. Yikes._

_Lisa: She’s so out of control tonight. I’m heading home._

_Jongin: Good idea. Save yourself. Text me when you get home._

_Lisa: Will do. How’s the sleepover going?_

_Jongin: I didn’t realize I needed something like this until I was here. We’ve been eating and playing video games all night._

_Lisa: I wish I was eating and playing video games at home right now. You guys are so smart._

_Lisa: Chanyeol and Sana are heading out now too so I’m going to walk with them to wait for our rides together._

_Jongin: Good! Stay safe!_

Part of Jongin wanted to ask how Jennie was doing with this whole mess, but knowing her, she was probably amused by Rosé and assuring Sehun that Johnny would be fine.

“Okay, real question,” Baekhyun said, refilling his paper plate with some chips. “If you had to have a threesome with someone, who are the two people you would choose for it?”

“I’m married,” Jongdae said, reaching for some chips as well, “I can’t answer this question.”

“You, especially,” Baekhyun said pointing at him, “Since you’re not even getting laid anymore. In a fantasy world, who would it be?”

“Wendy and Lisa?” Kyungsoo offered as a suggestion.

“Oooh, yeah,” Baekhyun agreed, and Jongin snickered as Jongdae looked to consider this.

“I guess that would be it,” Jongdae acknowledged. “I honestly have never thought about it before.”

“I’ve never thought about it either,” Kyungsoo offered, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie.

“Yixing and Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said, pointing to him.

Kyungsoo froze with the silliest expression, part blush, part wonder, but then shook his head, “Not Yixing. Maybe Chanyeol and Taeyong. Or maybe Chanyeol and Kris since they’re already hooking up.”

“Makes sense,” Baekhyun nodded, and then he looked at Jongin, and Jongin hadn’t even considered it either. “What about you?”

“I have no idea,” Jongin said. “I mean, obviously it would’ve been Jennie and someone else, but… I don’t know, I liked just being with her.” Jongin felt a little pang in his heart, and Kyungsoo and Jongdae both yelled at Baekhyun for asking him.

“My bad,” Baekhyun said, putting his hands up in defense. “He could’ve had a fun answer instead of taking it seriously!”

“I’m sorry,” Jongin said, shaking his head and knowing that Baekhyun was right. They were having fun, and he needed to get his mind off Jennie, which he’d been able to do most of the night except when they were interrupted with updates from the party. “Um, I don’t know, Tinashe and Rihanna.”

“No, it has to be in our crew though,” Jongdae whined.

“That wasn’t established,” Jongin countered, horrified at having to pick anyone other than Jennie.

“Yeah, but it’s more fun that way,” Baekhyun agreed. “Jennie excluded. If you could have a threesome with any two people in our group of friends, who you’d pick?”

“Literally no one,” Jongin stated. “Not even if you paid me.”

“Wow, harsh,” Jongdae said, sitting back on the loveseat while he ate his chips.

“What about you?” Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun.

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun said, looking up as he thought about this.

“Jisoo and?” Jongdae prodded, then shoved a handful of chips in his mouth.

“I’m not sure I’d do a threesome with Jisoo,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head while still thinking. “She’s not that adventurous when it comes to sex, so she probably wouldn’t be into it.”

“That’s more about Jisoo than I ever needed to know,” Jongin snorted, deciding to follow Jongdae’s lead and get some chips as well, even though he still felt full from everything they had already eaten.

Jongdae laughed, then said, “I’m not surprised though. She seems like the type of person who treats sex like everything else in her life. She has to get it done, be the best at it, then check it off her list until the next day or whenever she has it scheduled next.”

Kyungsoo snickered at this, which made Jongin snicker, and then they both laughed when Baekhyun said, “You’re not actually far off.”

“I hope Evan the Bruin Lambda can coordinate his schedule to hers then,” Jongdae joked, and they all laughed harder.

“Okay, so not Jisoo,” Kyungsoo said, grabbing some popcorn they had popped at some point to snack on after he was done with the cookie.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said, moving his head from side to side as if debating. “I’m going to go with Lucas and Momo. Since Lucas is gay, and Momo is straight, all their attention will be on me and I’ll get all the action all the time.”

“Good thinking,” Jongdae said, putting his hand up to give him a pretend hi-five from the couch.

“That is so selfish,” Kyungsoo said, throwing popcorn at Baekhyun.

“It’s my threesome,” Baekhyun defended, “I get to be selfish about it.”

Jongin then wondered if Jennie had ever secretly wanted to do a threesome. She had never mentioned it, and he would’ve been a bit embarrassed by it if she had ever suggested it. He wondered if he would actually ever do one, but he supposed he didn’t have to worry about finding out now.

He couldn’t stop himself from checking online to see if anyone had posted pictures of how she looked at the party that night, and sure enough, as soon as he got onto his Twitter account, his feed was littered with pictures of her, looking every bit as stunning as he knew she would.

It wasn’t fair, and he felt his stomach drop, wondering if she missed him or regretted breaking up with him.

“Let’s play Black Ops,” Jongdae said, and Jongin heard him, but he didn’t really register it, his eyes stuck on the picture in front of him.

_Jennie Kim stuns in custom-made Calvin Klein for friend’s party._

_Our fave girl-crush rocks Calvin Klein for exclusive party._

_Two things we can’t have: this custom CK dress and an invite to that party_

_Jennie Kim continues to be perfect in every way._

“Nini?” Kyungsoo’s voice said, but Jongin couldn’t pull himself away from the pictures and headlines, all based on a series of pictures she had posted on her Instagram feed.

This wasn’t fair. He should’ve been there with her, holding her hand, being the shoulder for her to lean on when she got tired of the socializing, being in the bed she fell into after an exhausting night of being the center of attention.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, pulling his phone away from his hand. “Let’s not do that to ourselves.”

“I should be with her,” Jongin said, pouting and feeling his bottom lip tremble. “This is so stupid.”

“It’s more than stupid,” Baekhyun agreed, shuffling over on his knees from where he’d been kneeling at the coffee table to snack on the chips and salsa. “But just think of all the other cool girls in the world that can be yours now.”

“Yeah, you don’t need Jennie,” Jongdae agreed, scooting over to the side of the love seat closest to him.

“She told me that she wouldn’t let her parents dictate her feelings for me,” Jongin told them, looking at them desperate for answers, “Why did that change?”

“Because her parents are assholes,” Jongdae said, “And they probably pressured her enough so that she had to do what she didn’t want to do because some of us aren’t brave enough to stand up to our parents and we let them dictate everything even after we say we won’t let them.”

Jongin looked at Jongdae and blinked.

“Wow,” Kyungsoo said. “Tell us how you really feel.”

“Sorry,” Jongdae waved off. “I’m just saying that I can relate.”

“Yeah, we got that,” Baekhyun told him.

“The point is,” Jongdae said, looking back at Jongin. “I’m one hundred percent sure that Jennie didn’t want to break up with you. But when you have parents like ours, you have to pick your battles and hope that you can play along until you figure out how to get what you want.”

“So, I wasn’t a battle worth picking,” Jongin inferred, feeling a dull pain in his chest.

“If that’s how you want to look at it, you can,” Jongdae said, and then he held up his phone, which was still lighting up with text messages, “But Jennie hasn’t stopped texting me the entire night to check in on you and ask how you’re doing, and if you’re having fun, and telling me to make sure that you have fun. So, like I said. She couldn’t figure it out, but I’ve been in her shoes, so I know that she wishes she could and hasn’t stopped trying to.”

Jongin’s heart rate accelerated, not believing that she had been texting him the whole time and feeling a weird mixture of excitement and pain about her doing so.

“I love that you’re her new bestie,” Baekhyun joked.

“She keeps using Wendy’s upcoming birthday as an excuse to ask me how he’s doing,” Jongdae explained. “She says that, even though she knows she’ll no longer be invited, she wants to make sure to send a good gift. Also, she asked me if I had started thinking about our anniversary yet, and to reach out to her if I wanted help in planning it. I was like, what anniversary? And she literally sent me the date and told me to put it in my calendar so that I didn’t forget. Why does she know my anniversary when I don’t even consider it our anniversary?”

That made Jongin choke up unexpectedly, and he lifted his knees up so he could bury his head into them and cry. He didn’t care that his shoulders were shaking or that he was losing it in front of his friends. All he cared about was that he missed Jennie so much, and the only thing that had come between them was her stupid, annoying, evil parents.

Kyungsoo sat beside him and wrapped his arms around him, leaning his head on him in a comforting way. Jongin appreciated it, but it didn’t stop the tears from spilling. This was so stupid. And even though Jongdae said Jennie was trying to figure it out, Jongin knew that he couldn’t keep doing this. He couldn’t wait for her to figure it out because it was likely that she never would. He knew her well enough to know that she would never go against her parents, and part of the reason had nothing to do with them.

Jennie loved the limelight too much. She loved being the “it” girl. She got off on the attention and praise. And her parents had steered her perfectly into it, and she trusted their instincts to let them keep doing it. She had definitely picked her battles, and even though Jongdae meant well, Jongin knew that being with him didn’t compare to the high she got when she entered a room and everyone looked at her.

He had to let it go. He had to let her go. He had to move on. But how?

How?


	24. Chapter 24

Kyungsoo sat still in Doheny, the main library on campus, staring at a book and doing his best to remain inconspicuous. It was a matter of time before he was found, and he had to remain calm and not give himself away.

“Cut!” the director announced, and Kyungsoo looked over at him, watching him look at the playback and then give him a thumbs up.

He relaxed, breaking out of character and putting the book down to flex his fingers a bit, which felt a little cramped from holding the book in the same position for so long.

“I think we got all the shots we need today,” the director said, a senior who had cast Kyungsoo to play the lead in his final student film project before graduation.

The first day had gone pretty well, and Kyungsoo found that he liked the casual way that student films worked. Or at least the way this guy’s worked. He had heard some horror stories from his theater classmates about film students who thought they were Scorsese and acted like they were doing them a favor by casting them, but this senior had been really cool and had been pretty chill throughout the whole process.

“Tomorrow we’ll do the night scenes and that’ll be it,” the director told him, and Kyungsoo confirmed that he had the call sheet with the info and times and told him he’d see him tomorrow night.

The problem with breaking out of character was that he had to be himself again, and while that normally wasn’t a problem, today it was a big one because being himself meant heading to his car and driving up to NoHo to meet Taeyong in his part of the woods.

Kyungsoo figured if they were going to have this conversation, the least he could do was save Taeyong the gas. He had no idea how it was going to go, and he was nervous, his stomach flipping several times as he got stuck in traffic and had nothing better to do than worry.

He knew that the best-case scenario would be that Taeyong would understand and keep being with him, knowing that there was a chance that Chanyeol wouldn’t come around so there’d be no point in breaking up. The worst-case scenario would be that Taeyong would break up with him and never want to see him again. Somewhere in the middle was a breakup with a friends-with-benefits relationship.

He parked on the street beside Taeyong’s apartment building and texted him to let him know he was there. Kyungsoo got out of his car and headed to the front door of the building, waiting for Taeyong to come downstairs to get him since their building didn’t have a buzzer.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a smile when he saw him.

“Hey,” Taeyong said back, with a smile of his own and a quick kiss on his cheek in greeting.

It made Kyungsoo bite his lip as he stood in place, making no movement to follow him.

“Um, are your roommates home?” Kyungsoo asked him.

“Yeah,” Taeyong confirmed and then looked curious about Kyungsoo’s behavior. “Is something wrong?”

“No. I mean…” Kyungsoo realized at that moment just how nervous he was. “I’m… We have to talk.”

Taeyong lost his smile and gave him his full attention.

“Talk about what?”

Kyungsoo looked at Taeyong’s worried eyes and felt worried himself. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something, then when nothing came out, he shut it again, looking from side to side for a minute as he tried to remember how he was going to start this and then realizing that he had never decided which way he was actually going to say this.

“This can’t be good,” Taeyong said, looking a bit guarded and tentative all of a sudden.

“It’s not bad,” Kyungsoo said, using that as his starting point. “It’s just complicated.”

“What’s complicated?” Taeyong sucked in his lips and narrowed his eyes a little as if to prepare himself.

“So, before I met you, I kinda had a crush on someone,” Kyungsoo began, and now Taeyong raised an eyebrow. “But he was straight, so it didn’t matter. Except, we talked recently, and he said he figured out he was bi and that he has feelings for me.”

Now both of Taeyong’s eyebrows raised, and Kyungsoo took another deep breath, his heart beating a little faster.

“But he’s not out,” Kyungsoo continued. “So I told him that there was no point in us pursuing anything right now until he comes to terms with that part of everything, and he agreed. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I have feelings for someone else, but they’re not someone I can be with now, or maybe ever, so it doesn’t really matter, but I thought you should know.”

Taeyong looked a bit confused and definitely upset. He crossed his arms and asked, “Who is it?”

“Well, he’s not out…” Kyungsoo began, but the look that Taeyong gave him made him bite his lip and stop talking.

“You have feelings for someone else,” Taeyong said, “I deserve to know who I’m being emotionally cheated on with.”

“It’s not like that,” Kyungsoo said, hoping he could understand. “I told you it was complicated.”

“You had feelings for this person before we got together?”

Kyungsoo bit his lip again and nodded.

“Who is it?” Taeyong asked again.

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo confessed, and the way Taeyong’s eyes went wide made Kyungsoo’s stomach drop. “I told you it was complicated.”

“You’ve been…” Taeyong began, then ran his hand through his hair in disbelief. “You guys are always together.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo said, bringing his hands up, mostly so he could press them against his stomach, which was doing way too much tumbling. “It’s complicated.”

“If you say that one more time,” Taeyong warned, letting out a scoff as he looked toward the sidewalk as if he needed a moment to process all of this. He looked back at him, and Kyungsoo hated the look on his face. One of betrayal, disappointment, and definite anger. “I can’t believe I’ve wasted all this time being with you.”

That hurt right in his chest, and Kyungsoo looked at him with the pain of the verbal jab very evident.

“It wasn’t a waste,” Kyungsoo tried to defend, but Taeyong was livid.

“It was,” Taeyong stated. “Because you had feelings for Chanyeol this whole time. Did you even ever have feelings for me?”

“Yes, of course I did,” Kyungsoo argued. “Obviously.”

“Obviously?” Taeyong said, not hiding that he didn’t believe him. “How did they compare to your feelings for Chanyeol?”

“What?” Kyungsoo said. He understood the question, but he couldn’t believe he had been asked it.

“How did your feelings for me compare to your feelings for Chanyeol?”

“It’s not the same thing,” Kyungsoo tried to defend.

“Oh, you’re not going to answer that?” Taeyong said, nodding and looking pissed. “Well that answers it.”

“That’s not fair,” Kyungsoo said. “They were just different.”

“Different how?” Taeyong challenged him. “You just sat there and told me that the only reason you’re not with him is because he’s not out, which means that if he had said he was coming out, you would have dumped me.”

Kyungsoo opened his mouth to say something, then realized he couldn’t because Taeyong was very correct in that interpretation. He shut his mouth, and Taeyong nodded in understanding.

“Cool,” Taeyong said, opening the door to the building again.

“Wait,” Kyungsoo said, reaching out to his arm and catching his wrist. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“If you think that I’m going to be your sure thing while you wait for the man of your dreams to come around, then you are delusional,” Taeyong told him, pulling his wrist away from his grasp. “Delete my number. I never want to see you again.”

“Wait,” Kyungsoo said, holding the door instead. “Tae, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“What are you sorry about, Kyungsoo?” Taeyong asked him with a glare. “Do you even know? Did you think I was going to go along with this? You know, I put up with a lot of your entitled bullshit but thinking that I was going to keep being with you so you could have your cake and eat it too is a level I hadn’t even considered.”

“I’m sorry I made you feel like that,” Kyungsoo said, feeling guilt wash over him. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Do you think that’s fair to me?” Taeyong continued, “To say you don’t want to lose me? To effectively say that I don’t deserve to have those feelings directed at me instead and that I should settle for just being with you anyway?”

Kyungsoo had definitely not thought about it like that at all. Is that what he had implied? Is that what he had been asking of him? He felt a strong numb pain spread through his chest, which seemed to confirm that Taeyong’s honesty was something he did understand. That had been exactly what he had been saying, and he didn’t realize it because he had been selfish and just thinking about what was best for him.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head, “You’re right. It’s not fair.” He had to take a deep breath, his own emotions pushing up from the heaviness in his chest.

“You don’t get to use me like that,” Taeyong told him.

Kyungsoo nodded and said, “You’re right. You don’t deserve that. I’m sorry that I didn’t think it through. I was being very selfish because I really didn’t want to lose you. You’ve… I mean if you don’t ever want to see me again, then I have to tell you this. Before you came along, I thought I was never going to be with someone again. I honestly thought I wasn’t likeable like that because of Yixing. I didn’t think you were going to like me after our blind date, but then you wanted to see me again and… I can’t thank you enough for that. You helped me in ways you’ll never know, and I’m forever grateful to you for it.”

His eyes had watered, and he did his best to not blink so that tears didn’t sneak out.

Taeyong seemed to consider his words as he watched him, and then he said, “We really don’t need to see each other again. Hope it works out for you and Chanyeol.”

Taeyong turned and walked away, and Kyungsoo stood there, feeling overwhelmed with disappointment and confusion. So, he had to accept the worst-case scenario. Okay. Fine. He could deal with that. It sucked, but it would be no different than how things were before he had met Taeyong.

And all of a sudden, as he got into his car and turned on the ignition, he was overcome with nostalgia for things that would never happen again, like Taeyong coming over to the apartment with food, or Taeyong explaining some weird Canadian thing whenever Kyungsoo would be confused about something he had said, or taking Taeyong somewhere new in the city that he’d never been and watching him take pictures and look around in awe, or… the list continued, and Kyungsoo had to come to terms with now having only the memories.

This didn’t feel great at all. It wasn’t as gut-wrenching as when Yixing had abandoned him, but it still hurt and made Kyungsoo feel like he had done something very wrong. This was his fault somehow. He didn’t know what he could have done differently, but it’s clear that he didn’t do things right. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t just get with Chanyeol because then he’d put himself in another bad predicament. It would be a weird combination of how Yixing wouldn’t acknowledge him to other people and how Taeyong had actually cared about him. No, he couldn’t do it.

He would just have to stay single and focus on his career, which was so stalled that Kyungsoo had started to think that he had made shooting his indie up. And it was maybe this train of thought that led him to drive down to Los Feliz instead of back to campus.

He had only been to Junmyeon’s place once before, but both Junmyeon and Irene had told him that he was welcome over at any time. He parked on the street in front of their condo building and called Junmyeon to let him know he was in the area and was parked outside if he could come in.

As he expected, Junmyeon excitedly came down to greet him, letting him into the building and to the elevator, talking about how he had been reading over the script for a part he booked and could use the help with it so that it was some sort of astrological intervention that he had come over. Or something like that. Kyungsoo never knew what Junmyeon was saying when he started talking astrology.

Junmyeon and Irene’s condo was a single, which fit them just fine for now, but they had mentioned it being temporary until they could sell it to buy a home. Kyungsoo had asked Junmyeon once why they weren’t just married yet, and Junmyeon had said something about the stars not being aligned yet and that he had to wait for the right planets to be in the right houses before he could propose, and then again to set the actual wedding date. When Kyungsoo had asked Irene if she was really going to wait for all that, she said that she didn’t care when they had a piece of paper since they were already married in her mind.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Junmyeon asked, opening the fridge. “I just bought a really good Kombucha I hadn’t tried before from Whole Foods.”

“Water’s fine,” Kyungsoo said, sitting on the couch and trying to relax and destress from all the emotions that were still attacking him.

Junmyeon brought him over a glass of water and then sat beside him, “Your aura is really negative right now. You’re exuding a lot of anxious energy. What’s going on?”

“Taeyong and I just broke up,” Kyungsoo told him, and Junmyeon put his hand over his chest.

“No? Really? That’s awful. I’m so sorry,” he said, and Kyungsoo shrugged. “Ah, I remember my last breakup. It wasn’t really my fault, but after I remember thinking that it was probably for the best because I had bigger goals that she probably wouldn’t have kept up with. You know, these things always happen for a reason, so don’t feel too bad. The universe is looking out for you and telling you that it’s time to move onto something else.”

“Right,” Kyungsoo said, knowing that Junmyeon’s unconventional wisdom had some merit, but it didn’t stop him from feeling guilty and sad about this.

“I liked Taeyong,” Junmyeon continued, “But he didn’t seem right for you. I didn’t want to tell you that before, but your energies weren’t compatible.”

“They weren’t?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes widening at this revelation.

“Not at all,” Junmyeon confirmed. “At the parties and everything, your energies were always aligned really well with Chanyeol, but not Taeyong. It’s too bad Chanyeol’s straight.”

“He’s not,” Kyungsoo said, blinking and feeling his heart race pick up yet again. “He’s bi. He told me. That’s why Taeyong and I ended up breaking up.”

“I knew he was bi!” Junmyeon said, bringing his hands together in a loud clap, “I knew it. I couldn’t figure out why his energy wasn’t aligning with his words. Of course. He was in the closet. It makes all the sense now.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded, “And he said he had feelings for me, and I’ve had feelings for him since forever, and… are you sure that our energies align?”

“One hundred percent align,” Junmyeon assured him. “It’s irrefutable. Which is good because your compatibility is a bit difficult.”

“Hm,” Kyungsoo said, not knowing what that was supposed to mean, but now thinking about other relationships. “What about me and Yixing?”

“No, not at all,” Junmyeon said, shaking his head. “I like him though. We’re very compatible when it comes to friendships. Libra and Gemini friendships are strong because we’re identical in a lot of respects, so I got his number and talk to him from time to time. He’s really funny the more you get to know him.”

“Yeah, he is,” Kyungsoo said, smiling warmly at the idea of Yixing and Junmyeon becoming friends. “What about Jongin and Jennie? Did you hear that they broke up?”

“It was front-page news,” Junmyeon said, letting out a big sigh and shaking his head. “It’s sad. Their energies were perfect together. It’s going to be hard for them to find other people that fit with them as well as they fit together.”

Kyungsoo was enjoying this exercise, so he tossed out another couple, “Baekhyun and Lucas.”

“Challenging,” Junmyeon said, which surprised Kyungsoo. “They could make it work if they wanted to, but it would require real effort. The sex is probably good though.”

“Oh? They’re sexually compatible?”

“I wouldn’t say compatible, but definitely fun and adventurous,” Junmyeon explained. “They look like they’re just having fun anyway. Are they looking to get serious?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Kyungsoo said, twisting his lips to the side. “I just wish they would. I think they’re really great together.”

“That’s the having fun part,” Junmyeon pointed out.

“What about Jongdae and Wendy?”

“Soulmates,” Junmyeon said without hesitation. “Their energy is full of conflict, which is confusing, but their aura screams soulmates. I hope they figure it all out soon because they’re just wasting valuable time of being happy together and having fun.”

“Soulmates, huh?” Kyungsoo said, trying to think if he ever felt that there was a time that he’d call them that. “And you and Irene? Soulmates too?” He asked him with a small smirk, knowing Junmyeon wouldn’t get it was a joke, but allowing himself to be fully amused by it.

“Irene and I are the greatest love story ever told,” Junmyeon said with pride. “I knew it when I met her, and she knew it too. _Romeo and Juliet_ , _The Notebook_ , _Tristan and Iseult_ , those were just the warmups to the story that will be written about Irene and me.”

“Weren’t those all tragedies?” Kyungsoo asked, narrowing his eyes in thought.

“That’s why ours will be the greatest,” Junmyeon said with a knowing smile. “No tragedies for us. We’ll show them how it’s done. We’ll be the blueprint for great love.”

Kyungsoo chuckled at this. He had to. Junmyeon was so ridiculous. And oddly, Kyungsoo must have known that Junmyeon’s brand of being would help him feel a bit better about things, which explained why he had gone there first. Kyungsoo helped him with his script, suggesting different ways he could interpret the directions, and letting him know when one delivery worked over the other. By the time Irene got home from work, Kyungsoo felt calm enough to leave and head back home, Junmyeon insisting he take a bottle of the Kombucha to try it and let him know what he thought.

When he did get home, news had spread to the point that both Jongin and Jongdae were waiting for him.

“You alright?” Jongdae asked, hopping up from the couch as soon as he walked in.

“Um…” Kyungsoo said, seeing Jongin and Baekhyun both looking at him as well. “I think I am. How did you guys hear already?”

“Taeyong texted me and Lisa to let us know,” Jongin explained, and Kyungsoo should have seen that coming.

He plopped onto the couch, sighing and feeling a lot of those emotions resurface again. “Yeah,” he said to his attentive audience. “It sucks, but it makes sense.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae said, sitting beside him and patting his leg. “You know, you guys did your thing, but with this Chanyeol thing now on your mind, this was probably for the best.”

“It’s healthier this way,” Baekhyun agreed. “Now you can crush on Chanyeol all you want without having to worry about someone else’s feelings.”

Kyungsoo bit his lip because it brought up another point of concern that had him confused, and he looked at them and asked, “So am I just supposed to stay alone until he gets his head out of his ass? Like how does this work? What if he never comes out?”

“You just wait until he comes out, or until someone better comes along,” Baekhyun said as if it was an obvious answer.

“It’s true,” Jongin said, giving him a sympathetic smile, which made Kyungsoo feel guilty because Jongin had his own issues and didn’t need to be worrying about him right now. “You have no idea who might come into your life and sweep you off your feet. Maybe there’s a guy out there who makes you feel the way Chanyeol does but is already out and ready to introduce you to his family and marry you right away.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae said, nodding along. “You just play it by ear. Things change, right? That’s what they always say. Keep your options open, but don’t get attached to anyone who doesn’t make you feel all gooey and shit inside.”

“All gooey and shit?” Baekhyun said, and he laughed.

“I don’t know,” Jongdae said laughing as well. “Whatever that weird feeling is when you know that someone was made just for you.”

Kyungsoo smiled at him, though he couldn’t laugh fully at the moment. He supposed all gooey and shit described how he felt when he had first kissed Chanyeol, and when he and Chanyeol had snuck off during Rosé’s party to talk, and when Chanyeol had confessed to being bi and having feelings for him. He could acknowledge that even though Taeyong had been a great boyfriend, he had never quite made him feel that way.

Jongdae’s phone indicated he had received a text message, and he looked at it, seeming a bit worried, then patting Kyungsoo’s knee again, “I have to head home, but are you going to be alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Kyungsoo said, now also feeling a little worried, “What’s wrong?”

“Hannah’s been sick since yesterday, and Wendy and I are kinda really freaking out a lot about it,” Jongdae said, getting up from the couch. “Her mom’s been with us and said that these things are normal, but the times before when she’s gotten sick it wasn’t this bad.”

“Her mom knows best,” Jongin assured him, “It’s good that she’s with you guys.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae nodded. “But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to take her to a hospital to get checked. Her mom said that if her temperature goes any higher then we’ll take her, so Wendy said she’s getting fussy and feeling hotter. They’re taking her temperature now, so I’m going to start heading over.”

“Yes, go,” Kyungsoo said, reaching out to give Jongdae’s hand a squeeze. “Let us know if you need anything.”

“I’ll go with you,” Jongin said, probably sensing that Jongdae could now use the support instead, and he looked at Kyungsoo, “I can stop by after if you want.”

“I’m good,” Kyungsoo assured him. “Keep us updated on Hannah.”

“Yes, please,” Baekhyun nodded, moving to sit on the couch in the spot Jongin had vacated.

Jongdae and Jongin left, and Kyungsoo let out another large sigh, wondering why things couldn’t be simple for them. Things had been going pretty great, and now everything seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. He was sure Junmyeon had some astrological explanation for it.

“I’ll order us some pizza for dinner,” Baekhyun told him. “It fixes everything.”

Kyungsoo nodded at him, then got up from the couch and told him that he was going to go lay down and figure out his life. Baekhyun gave him a small chuckle, then slapped his butt as he walked by.

“I’ll let you know when it gets here,” Baekhyun told him.

Kyungsoo was so mentally exhausted that he didn’t even bother changing as he collapsed onto his bed. He just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, replaying his conversation with Taeyong, and thinking it was so weird that he wouldn’t be coming over soon to join them for pizza or bring them some snacks to go with it. All this because Kyungsoo liked a boy that was too conflicted to even acknowledge how conflicted he even was.

He sighed and shifted to lay on his side just as his phone lit up with a text.

_Chanyeol: Are you watching the game tomorrow night? We just got here, and I’m resting before team dinner._

Kyungsoo smiled and replied.

_Kyungsoo: Of course I’m watching the game tomorrow night. In the words of Lucas, KILL STANFORD!_

_Chanyeol: Haha, we will. Speaking of Lucas, he said that he’s going to get a group together to come up for the Cal game this weekend. Did he ask you to join? If he didn’t, could you come up anyway?_

Kyungsoo hadn’t even considered it, but that suddenly sounded like a lot of fun.

_Kyungsoo: When is it again? This Saturday?_

_Chanyeol: Yeah, Saturday._

_Kyungsoo: I’ll check my schedule, but I’m sure my parents won’t mind not seeing me one weekend._

_Chanyeol: They could come too! Your parents are so nice._

_Kyungsoo: No. My parents can’t come. Are you trying to ruin my fun?_

_Chanyeol: HAHAHAHAH_

_Kyungsoo: Brat._

Kyungsoo debated saying something to Chanyeol about Taeyong. He figured he should tell him, but did it matter if he told him? It’s not like it changed anything. But he told Chanyeol everything, and he was bound to find out anyway.

_Kyungsoo: Hey, so, I have to tell you something._

_Chanyeol: I’m proud of being a brat._

_Chanyeol: Oh? What’s wrong?_

_Kyungsoo: I talked to Taeyong about our conversation, and he broke up with me, so… yeah. It’s been a crappy day._

_Chanyeol: Oh my God I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Do you want me to call you?_

_Kyungsoo: No, it’s okay. I’m dealing with it. I mean, I think it’s for the best, and I feel really guilty about making him feel like I was stringing him along. I’m really not a good boyfriend._

_Chanyeol: I’m way worse at it than you are. But I’m really sorry. I know you wanted to stay with him._

_Kyungsoo: I did, but it’s okay. I have to refocus on my acting career anyway. My non-existent acting career. If it wasn’t for this student film I’m shooting, I’d think I had made acting all up._

_Chanyeol: You need a new agent._

_Kyungsoo: Ha! It was so hard to get the one I have now. And he IS trying. He’s trying to get me to audition for this Netflix series that he says I’m perfect for, but he says they’re being assholes about the casting because they already have someone in mind._

_Chanyeol: Assholes. How do you have someone in mind when they don’t even know you exist?_

_Kyungsoo: What? That made no sense._

_Chanyeol: It made sense in my head! They’re assholes! LOL_

_Kyungsoo: LOL. Fair. They are._

_Chanyeol: How is your student film going?_

Kyungsoo settled into his routine of texting Chanyeol when he was away, and they caught up a bit on a few things. There was something that always comforted Kyungsoo about catching up with Chanyeol, or maybe it was the reassurance that Chanyeol still existed, that he hadn’t made him up too like he apparently had his acting career.

Chanyeol had to leave for his team dinner just around the same time that their pizza arrived, so they said goodbye to each other, and Kyungsoo got up to go eat.

“How’s Yeol doing?” Baekhyun asked, spying the smile that was probably on Kyungsoo’s face.

“He’s fine,” Kyungsoo said, joining him at the table and not bothering to deny that he had been texting with him. “Getting ready for the game against Stanford tomorrow.”

“Kill Stanford,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle.

“Speaking of,” Kyungsoo said, smiling at him, “Has Lucas mentioned a trip to see the game against Berkeley this weekend?”

“Uh, no?” Baekhyun said, checking his phone to see if he had any missed text messages. “There’s a trip up?”

“Chanyeol mentioned Lucas saying something about wanting to get a group of people together to go,” Kyungsoo explained as he ripped open the packet of red pepper flakes to spread all over his slice of pizza.

“I’d be so down for that,” Baekhyun said, “I haven’t been to the Bay Area in ages. Wait, it’s super cold up there this time of year.”

“Isn’t it cold up there every time of year?” Kyungsoo remarked, taking a big bite and thinking it was the best bite of pizza ever. When had he last eaten?

“Good point,” Baekhyun nodded. “I’m going to text him about it.”

As they waited for Lucas to reply, Jongin texted them both to say that they were at Urgent Care and Hannah was getting checked out.

“Oh no,” Kyungsoo said, just as Baekhyun said, “Shit” and Kyungsoo texted him back to let them know if he needed anything.

“This is why I’m never having kids,” Baekhyun said, looking concerned. “I went through this with Emily already and it’s the worst. Especially when they’re babies.”

“Yeah, this doesn’t seem fun,” Kyungsoo agreed, not sure if he felt as strongly about not having kids. But seeing everything Jongdae and Wendy were going through definitely made him know that if he did, it wouldn’t be until way later in life. He supposed he was lucky that it wasn’t something he had to worry about accidentally happening.

Baekhyun’s phone lit up, and Baekhyun grabbed it quick, then relaxed and said, “Lucas said that he was talking to the powers-that-be about making it a frat road trip. He said he’ll check in with Ben and Kris and see if they’ve made a decision. Oh, apparently if we make it a frat thing, Ben and Kris can get a party bus chartered and all that.”

“Sounds amazing,” Kyungsoo said, not even wanting to know what a party bus up to the Bay Area was going to be like with the rest of the Lambdas.

Baekhyun snickered at that and texted Lucas back, then switched the subject to something that Kyungsoo wasn’t expecting.

“While we were waiting for you to get home,” Baekhyun began, “We were talking about Wendy’s birthday party. Jongdae says that Wendy doesn’t want to really do anything, but it’s her twentieth so it’s kind of special. He decided he wants to make a dinner reservation for that weekend. He wants it to be down in the OC at a really nice restaurant, and he wants to formally propose to her as her birthday present.”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, not having expected that plot twist.

“Yeah, apparently they’ve really been working things out,” Baekhyun informed him. “And he feels that they’re finally getting there emotionally, so he wants to propose to sort of confirm that he’s ready to date if she’s ready.”

“Finally,” Kyungsoo said, grateful that they had made progress. “I fully support. How do we help?”

“By showing up,” Baekhyun told him with a big grin. “Actually, he didn’t want to say anything in front of Jongin, so it’s good we got to talk before Jongin got here. Jennie’s been helping him set things up and she recommend the perfect restaurant that she claims will make Wendy say ‘yes,’ and then she set up a time for him and her to go engagement ring shopping together, which I told him was going to lead the paparazzi to think that he was her new man and they were getting married.”

Kyungsoo looked horrified by this and shook his head, “Yeah, no, he’s got to go with someone else.”

“You know Jongdae,” Baekhyun said, looking as if there was no helping their adventurous friend, “He said he’d take his chances because Jennie’s really good at things like jewelry shopping, which is true. He really wants to get it right. Also, she happens to know Wendy’s ring size, and it’s the same as hers, so she’s going to be his hand model for him.”

Kyungsoo laughed at this. He had to.

“I know,” Baekhyun said, chuckling as well. “Obviously Jennie’s going to enjoy this a lot more than he is. I guess girls like to pretend they’re getting married or something. I don’t understand them.”

“I don’t either,” Kyungsoo agreed, but he grinned again, feeling excited for Jongdae. “I really hope she says ‘yes’.”

“I do too. Dae has suffered enough. The man needs to get laid.”

“Honestly,” Kyungsoo agreed with another chuckle.

They received another text update from Jongin moments later letting them know that Hannah had the flu.

“Oh no,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head. “She’s not even fully vaccinated yet.”

Kyungsoo felt his stomach drop a little, wondering what exactly this meant. He didn’t know much about kids, but he knew enough to know that it wasn’t good if babies as young as Hannah were getting horrible things like the flu.

“But she’ll be okay, right?” Kyungsoo asked, not hiding his worry. “They have medicine and stuff?”

“Yeah, they’ll just have to give her medicine and make sure she rests,” Baekhyun assured him. “It’s the same. Just more dangerous because she hasn’t built up a lot of immunity yet. Again, I’m never having kids.”

Kyungsoo nodded, wondering once again how Jongdae was pulling all this off. He had to admit that he really admired his best friend and was impressed each day with the things he did when it came to Hannah.

They finished their pizza, and Kyungsoo decided to call it a night, leaving Baekhyun to his video games or whatever he was doing that night since Lucas wouldn’t be coming over due to a project he was trying to finish for class.

He got comfortable in his boxers and a T-shirt and went to sit on his bed, hoping Chanyeol was around for more texting. He told him about Hannah, and when Chanyeol replied, he got comfortable in his bed for another relaxing night of texting with Chanyeol.


	25. Chapter 25

Chanyeol hated losing. He hated it more than just about anything.

“On to the next one,” one of his teammates said in their locker room after their defeat, but for all of Chanyeol’s strengths, moving on from losses was definitely one of his weaknesses.

“Let me take a look at your ankle,” their head trainer said, and Chanyeol told him it felt fine, but raised it up for him to look at anyway.

He had twisted it toward the end of the first half, and after the trainer had checked it out during halftime, he’d given him the go-ahead to keep playing. Chanyeol didn’t bother to tell him that he had landed wrong on it in the first place because he had been favoring his left leg since his right knee had been bothering him a bit. He didn’t warm up well enough. It had happened before, so he didn’t think anything of it.

“It’ll be fine by the time we play Cal,” Chanyeol assured him.

“It’s a pretty minor sprain,” the trainer agreed, “Let me wrap it, and stay off it once you’re back at the hotel.”

Chanyeol agreed to follow orders. Since they had lost, it’s not like he had any reason to do anything other than lay in bed and sulk.

By the time the weekend arrived, Chanyeol’s ankle felt just fine, and he took that as a sign that things were going to go great and they were going to win the next game with ease. And maybe Chanyeol’s auspicious feelings were made even more so by seeing Kyungsoo step off the Lambda party bus in a cardinal USC hoodie and grinning.

“You guys made it after all,” Chanyeol told him and Baekhyun who got off the bus right after.

“Barely,” Baekhyun said. “Somewhere between the desert and the other part of the desert, Lucas tried to kill me with tequila shots.”

“I’m sorry,” Lucas said, laughing as he squeezed Baekhyun from behind. “I lost track of how many I was giving you.”

“Why did you keep drinking them all?” Chanyeol asked Baekhyun, knowing Baekhyun was usually better at saying “no” when he hit his limit.

“I lost track of how many I had drunk,” Baekhyun lamented, and Chanyeol laughed at him for being so careless.

“How’s your ankle?” Kyungsoo asked, looking down at it, then back up at him with that expression that Chanyeol could never get enough of. Why was Kyungsoo so cute when he was slightly worried or curious?

“As good as new,” Chanyeol assured him.

They spent a few moments catching up, and then Chanyeol had to get back to the arena for meetings and warmups. He was already looking forward to hanging out again after the game, and hopefully in a victorious way where they could celebrate their latest win.

Once Chanyeol was suited up in his uniform, Minseok made him sit on a bench in the locker room and knelt in front of him.

“Let’s stretch that ankle out before you start warmups,” he said, and Chanyeol followed instructions, humming to himself as he tried to get mentally prepared for the game. “How’s the gang?” Minseok asked with a knowing smile, and Chanyeol lit up at the question.

“Drunk,” Chanyeol said with a chuckle. “We’re going to have a really rowdy cheering section tonight.”

“Good,” Minseok said, massaging over his ankle before stretching it in the other direction. Chanyeol tried not to flinch. It felt fine until Minseok or their head trainer did things like that to it. “We need that energy to help us get that win tonight.”

“We’re winning no matter what,” Chanyeol affirmed, and Minseok chuckled and told him he was good to go.

Warmups went fine, and Chanyeol felt really good about everything by the time the game started. He had already spotted where the Lambdas were sitting and had made eye-contact with Kyungsoo at least twice before the game had even started.

It made him feel even more energized, and by the half, they were well in the lead and Chanyeol was in his zone. He kept his pace up after the half, even though his ankle had started bugging him, but his knee was the one giving him bigger issues. He didn’t want to make the same mistake again, so he powered through it, only slowing down a bit in the fourth quarter.

They had a sizeable lead when their coach told him to sit it out and rest, and after a few moments and plays where Cal looked like they might catch up, Chanyeol had told the coach he was ready to go back in.

“Check on that ankle,” the coach said to their head trainer, and Chanyeol sat back in the chair, hoping he got the all-clear.

“It feels fine,” Chanyeol insisted as the head trainer looked at it again and bent it this way and that.

“It’s getting a bit swollen,” he said, “Let me re-wrap it.”

Chanyeol hoped that meant he could go back in and help his team again. The margin of victory was getting narrower by the moment, and it was driving Chanyeol crazy to watch it. He needed to get in there and do something about it.

With his ankle wrapped and the all-clear from the head trainer, their Coach let him back in, and Chanyeol was rewarded with a ball instantly in his possession. He made an easy layup and found his groove again as the final minutes ticked down until the buzzer rang.

They had hung in there and won, and Chanyeol pumped his fist in the air in relief. He was greeted with hugs from his teammates and coaching staff, and also a camera in his face asking him about his ankle and his performance.

Chanyeol told them that he knew they were going to win, that he had felt it from the morning he had woken up, and that his ankle hadn’t been an issue at all, which was mostly true. Once they were back in the locker room, the trainer examined the ankle again, told him they’d do an MRI back on campus on Monday, and gave him some painkillers with the instructions to keep it wrapped and elevated back at the hotel.

Which was all well and good, except that Chanyeol had no intentions of heading straight back to the hotel anytime soon. He showered and changed into his jeans and knit shirt, throwing on his hoodie over it, and hoping that it kept him warm enough in the chill of the night. He walked out with the team and had to stop to take some pictures with some girls in Cal hoodies who wanted a picture with him.

“You know he’s on the other team, right?” one of his teammates asked them, and the girls laughed and took turns taking a picture with him.

And then another set of girls asked him for a picture, this particular bunch having one girl brave enough to stick a piece of paper in the pocket of his hoodie and telling him to call her.

When he was back on the team bus, another one of his teammates sat beside him and said, “I’m gonna tell your girl if you hook up with a Cal girl.”

“Shut up,” Chanyeol said, shoving his shoulder with his, which caused him to laugh. “Anyways, I have plans for the night already.”

“You got a Bay Area hookup?” he asked, unironically, like this was a totally acceptable thing to ask and have a reply to.

“No, but some friends came up to watch the game, so I’m going to do late dinner with them and hang out.”

“Nice,” he said, “Is it your girl Jisoo? Because I might have to come hang out too.”

Chanyeol snorted at this and said, “Not this time. Sorry. Just some of my Lambda friends.”

“Don’t get too crazy,” his teammate said, “You gotta rest that ankle. Can’t have you dragging it around on the court during the finals.”

“My ankle’s fine,” Chanyeol waved off.

They talked the rest of the way about how they felt the game went and what plays were the key ones of the night, and then Chanyeol headed up to his room just to drop off his duffel bag and coordinate the best way to get out of the hotel without his coach or any of the staff members seeing.

His coach wasn’t particularly harsh about curfew. He didn’t perform bed checks or make anyone else on the staff do it, so he and his teammates usually just waited until everyone was settled into their rooms for the night before attempting to sneak out.

He texted Kyungsoo to let him know when he was finally making his way outside, and Kyungsoo waved at him from where he stood, looking as if he was shuddering from the cold wind.

“Hey, champ,” Baekhyun said, also with him, as were Lucas and Kris, which made Chanyeol smile. “So, there’s a Mexican place right over there, and that’s where we’re going because it’s too fucking cold to go anywhere else.”

“Sounds good,” Chanyeol said, walking with them down the block to where the Mexican restaurant was alive and hopping as if it wasn’t so late at night.

Chanyeol’s stomach grumbled the moment they walked in. He was beyond starving after his game, and he considered getting two burritos. Even though it was cold, they had no choice but to sit outside at one of the tables on the patio since all the indoor seats were taken in the small restaurant.

The heat warmers overhead helped, as did Kyungsoo’s body heat since he had squeezed in between Chanyeol and Baekhyun at the picnic table. There wasn’t much conversation at first as everyone attacked their food, only pausing to comment between bites on how good it was, but then as they settled in, conversation flowed casually.

“So, what was your impression of Evan?” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol. “Since you’re the only one here who’s actually met him.”

Chanyeol had to take a moment to think about who Evan was, and then he chuckled and admitted, “I had no idea who you were talking about.”

“That memorable, huh?” Baekhyun said, looking ready to snicker.

“He kept calling her Jess the whole night,” Chanyeol offered, trying to remember what had happened. “It was weird.

“He’s not the worst guy,” Kris said, once he was done with two out of the three tacos on his plate. “The Lambda president over there has him pegged for president next year.”

“Ah,” Baekhyun nodded in understanding. “This is a strategic move. Very Jisoo.”

“He’s a junior?” Kyungsoo asked, looking at his torta while asking, then taking another bite.

“Yeah,” Kris confirmed. “I’m guessing she’ll dump him once she’s tapped to be president her senior year.”

“Yep,” Baekhyun said, and then seemed to consider something before saying, “Well, I don’t know. Did she seem to genuinely like him? Is he going to be a lawyer too?”

“His dad’s an investor and his mom’s an heiress,” Kris filled in for them. “He’s a Finance major, so it seems like he’s following in his dad’s footsteps.”

“Hey,” Lucas said, looking excited, “My dad’s an investor and my mom’s an heiress too.”

“You’re the Hong Kong Evan,” Kyungsoo said, and then started cracking up for some reason, which made Baekhyun crack up, and then Lucas started laughing.

“Sorry,” Baekhyun said, and then explained, “At our sleepover, we were telling Jongdae that he was the Korean Evan.”

“I thought his dad was a cult leader,” Lucas said, eyes wide in thought as if he had remembered wrong.

“No, he is,” Baekhyun told him, still chuckling, “But we didn’t know anything about Evan at the time, so we made up things about Evan that fit with Jongdae.”

“Oh,” Lucas said, nodding, “That’s so funny.”

“It was really funny,” Kyungsoo agreed, picking up the other half of his torta.

“I feel offended that I wasn’t invited to this sleepover,” Kris said with a smile and a fake pout.

“Me too,” Chanyeol told them, “I would have preferred that to putting up with Rosé’s antics again.”

“Sorry, guys,” Baekhyun said, “We set it up to make Jongin feel better about the breakup.”

“How is he doing?” Chanyeol asked, looking toward Baekhyun, but finding himself distracted by Kyungsoo eating his food.

“He’s hanging in there,” Baekhyun told them. “You know how he is. He’s sensitive and taking it really personal even though we’ve all told him that it was a strategic move by Jennie’s parents.”

“I know how that goes,” Lucas sighed. “My parents picked out my future wife that they want me to marry after I graduate.”

“That is tragic,” Kyungsoo said, looking at Lucas a bit disturbed. “You can’t get out of it?”

“No,” Lucas replied. “It’s because they want to combine their companies. I don’t understand it. I just said that she has to be willing to live here because I’m going to be a sports announcer, and I’d rather be one here than there.”

“So…” Chanyeol began, hoping Lucas was joking, but guessing that he wasn’t, “Is she okay with moving here?”

“No,” Lucas said again, “She goes to school in Paris and that’s where her boyfriend is, so that’s where she wants to stay. I’m letting her take care of getting us out of this arrangement. She’s really smart.”

“Do your parents not know you’re gay?” Chanyeol then asked, wondering if Lucas was in the same situation that he was in.

“I’ve told them, but they don’t believe me,” Lucas said with a small laugh. “They never believe anything I say. Like the sportscaster thing. My parents think I’m making it up because they can’t imagine it being a real major.”

“Show them the school website,” Baekhyun said, finding this so funny that he had to put his hand up in front of his mouth.

“I have,” Lucas insisted. “They think it’s a fake site I made up.”

Chanyeol wondered if he came out to his parents if they would think he was joking too. He wouldn’t put it past his mom to think he was messing with her.

“Hey, how’s Hannah doing?” Chanyeol then asked, suddenly remembering the last update Kyungsoo had given him a couple of days ago.

“She’s doing better,” Baekhyun told him.

“Jongdae’s less stressed,” Kyungsoo then added, “So that’s a good sign that she’s okay.”

“It’s too bad he couldn’t come up with you guys,” Chanyeol mentioned, thinking that Jongdae would’ve enjoyed the break and road trip. “I mean, if you guys would have let him join the Lambda bus,” Chanyeol then said to Kris.

Kris smiled and said, “Dae’s an honorary Lambda. He’s more than invited on our crazy adventures.”

“I miss him doing fun stuff with us,” Kyungsoo said, looking a little sad about it. “I always think about what he’s missing out on. I know he wouldn’t trade it because he loves Hannah so much, but there are things that Jongdae would have loved about being in a frat.”

Baekhyun snapped his fingers and said, “That’s Jongdae’s next birthday theme.”

“Good one!” Lucas said, already excited about it.

“When’s his birthday again?” Kris asked.

“September,” Kyungsoo answered, “Wait, you’re graduating this semester. Are you staying in LA after?”

“Yeah,” Kris confirmed, “My internship plans to hire me on after I graduate.”

“Nice,” Lucas said, giving him a thumbs up.

“It’ll be brilliant,” Baekhyun said, looking as if he was envisioning the whole thing. “We’re going to haze him.”

“Make everyone go through a hazing ritual to get in,” Chanyeol suggested.

“Brilliant!” Baekhyun said pointing at him.

“This is one party idea I can definitely help with,” Kris said with a grin.

Chanyeol loved the idea, mostly because he wouldn’t mind getting a taste of the fraternity experience himself.

“We’ll make everyone do an elephant walk!” Lucas then said, and Kyungsoo whined while looking horrified.

Chanyeol busted out laughing, in a way that he hadn’t in a while, and it took several deep breaths and calming sips of his horchata to finally calm himself down.

He felt that time moved too quickly, and as the restaurant began to close down, Chanyeol didn’t want their time together to end.

“Is there anywhere else that’s open?” Chanyeol asked once they were back on the sidewalk.

“I’m feeling warm enough from the heat lamps to try another place,” Baekhyun agreed. “Someone Yelp 24-hour places.”

“Let’s Uber into the city,” Kris then suggested. “Berkeley’s asleep, but San Francisco’s just getting started.”

“I’m down,” Lucas said.

“As long as I get back to the hotel and in my bed before sunrise, I’m good,” Chanyeol told them.

They picked a place to try next and ordered a ride to take them, everyone insisting Chanyeol sit in the front passenger seat so he could stretch out his leg better to keep his ankle safe. Lucas read them the offerings off the menu of the place they were headed, and Chanyeol had a moment of surreal joy overcome him as they crossed the Bay Bridge, the dark waters all around them, and the bright lights of San Francisco in front of him. The soundtrack of his friends talking and laughing behind him was the best part, and he had the random musing that he could write a song about tonight.

Their driver dropped them off at a place that Chanyeol was sure he had made up in his dreams. He could barely contain his excitement as they walked into the place that was part bar-part video arcade decked out in retro 80’s décor. It was so cool that Chanyeol was grateful that Kyungsoo and Baekhyun’s fake IDs worked because he would have been devastated if they hadn’t been able to get in.

“This is my dream bar,” Baekhyun said, looking around at everything. “Holy shit, did I make this place up?”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Chanyeol told him, taking inventory of the games they could play.

“You guys are nerds,” Kyungsoo teased them, but Chanyeol noticed the big smile on his face, and it hadn’t come from his attempt at a lame joke.

The place was pretty packed, so they headed straight to playing games while waiting for a table to free up.

“Are you hooped out or are you up for a challenge?” Kris asked, nodding toward the basketball throwing game.

“Always up for hoops,” Chanyeol told him, and they headed over to it.

“Let’s place bets,” Baekhyun said as their friends stood off to the side to watch. “My money’s on Chanyeol.”

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“Chanyeol,” Lucas joined in.

“Hey,” Kris said, looking at them amused. “Give me some credit here. I was a star player at my high school.”

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said again.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun and Lucas repeated at the same time.

Kris chuckled at them, and Chanyeol tried not to laugh, instead focusing on making baskets once the game began. It was pretty close, and Kris was keeping up with Chanyeol better than he had expected, but Chanyeol made more threes when it counted, and he ended up winning.

“The night is young,” Kris said, and Chanyeol laughed at him.

A table opened up and they claimed it, looking over the comic book menu and the specials printed on a drawing of a Gameboy. Everyone wanted to try the craft beers that were on tap, so Chanyeol picked the one with the lowest alcohol percentage, thinking anything harder probably wouldn’t go well with his painkillers. They got some corn dog bites to share, mostly because Lucas kept saying “corn dog bites” to them over and over.

Kyungsoo got up once Tetris freed up, and Chanyeol went with him to watch him play. It was fascinating to see Kyungsoo bite his lip and get really into it the higher his level. For a moment, Chanyeol allowed himself to think that they were on a date. He figured it would be a lot like this anyway, with them hanging out somewhere and having fun and Chanyeol having a hard time not taking glances at Kyungsoo to see his cute reactions to things. He couldn’t ever get over how expressive his eyes and eyebrows were.

“To the left,” Chanyeol told him when the game started going faster. And then he started giving him other instructions to help him out, even though Kyungsoo had it under control.

He ended up ranking pretty high on the scoreboard and he put his initials in as DKS instead of KSD.

“You put your last name first?” Chanyeol asked him amused.

“Yeah, it sounds cooler,” Kyungsoo said, smiling up at him.

“It does,” Chanyeol agreed, “Maybe, when I beat your score, I should put PCY instead of CYP.”

“You’re not beating my score,” Kyungsoo said, “But you can use it for when you come in after me.”

“Move,” Chanyeol said, putting his arm out to nudge him out of the way so he could show him how high he was going to place.

Chanyeol couldn’t remember the last time he had played Tetris on his phone, much less in an arcade, so it took a second for him to get used to which button made the piece move or turn, but once he had it, he zeroed in on the screen, never losing focus no matter how many times Kyungsoo tried to sabotage him by giving him the wrong directions or telling him he was taking this too seriously.

“Ha!” Chanyeol said as he took over Kyungsoo’s spot on the leaderboard, and he put his initials in as PCY, just like he said he would.

“Is there anything you’re not competitive about?” Kyungsoo asked him, shoving his shoulder as he looked at him annoyed.

“No, I’m competitive about everything,” Chanyeol said, trying to think of an example of a time he wasn’t. “One time Jisoo showed me a school project where she planted a seed and grew a plant, and I told my mom I needed seeds, so she took me to a gardening center to buy one, and I planted it and grew three just to show it off to her when she came over to play.”

“You have a problem,” Kyungsoo said, straight-faced and without irony.

“I know,” Chanyeol nodded, well aware of this.

Kyungsoo smiled and shook his head at him, which made Chanyeol smile too, and he followed him back to their table where the corn dog bites had arrived along with their beers.

“I don’t want to leave here,” Baekhyun told them after taste-testing his beer and approving it. “This is my new home.”

“We need to figure out if they have a place like this in LA,” Chanyeol agreed, “Although I feel we would have heard about it.”

“All we have are gaming cafes in Koreatown,” Kris snorted.

“Yeah, not the same thing,” Baekhyun lamented, popping a corn dog bite in his mouth.

“Okay, we’re not leaving,” Lucas declared.

But unfortunately, after more competitive game playing and another round of craft beers and corn dog bites, they did have to leave, and even though Chanyeol hadn’t wanted to admit it, his painkillers had started to wear off somewhere between his yelling at a pinball machine for cheating and barely beating Baekhyun in Street Fighter II.

It would have made sense for him to get his own ride back to the hotel, but the guys refused to let him go alone, and so they had the driver drop them off first before being taken to their place. Chanyeol pretended to cry as he hugged them goodbye, and then he waited until he was inside and out of their view to hobble his way back to his room with the widest smile he’d had on his face in a long time.

***

Returning to campus on Monday meant finding out that his ankle was indeed badly sprained. It probably hadn’t started off that way, the doctor told him, but continuing to play on it and not resting it enough had made things a bit worse, so Chanyeol was ordered to use crutches and elevate it whenever he was home.

Crutches sucked. Chanyeol had crutches once before when he had gotten injured skateboarding in his pre-teens. He thought he had managed to get the hang of riding a rail when he completely missed the rail, landed hard on the steps on his right leg, and tumbled to the bottom, screaming in pain. He had landed wrong on his ankle and fractured it, along with getting a banged-up knee and elbow from the fall.

He was not happy to be going around to classes using them again, and he considered taking a day off from school altogether. But he wanted the time to work on some ideas for songs, so he went to his Music Production class, then headed to the guitar studio right after, smiling when he saw Baekhyun in there with a girl that Chanyeol had seen around the music buildings but didn’t know.

“Uh, can I help you out there?” Baekhyun asked, putting his guitar down.

“No one can help me,” Chanyeol whined, plopping into a chair at a table in the corner and letting out a large sigh of relief. “I hate crutches.”

“Well no one told you to play on a wonky ankle,” Baekhyun said, coming over to him and looking down at his ankle as if he’d see what was wrong with it. “How bad is it?”

“It’s just sprained,” Chanyeol waved off. “It’s not bad. They just want me to stay off it so that it doesn’t get worse.”

“Makes sense,” Baekhyun said, and then he gave a really big smile and motioned for the girl to come over. “Guess what? I found a bassist.”

“Wow,” Chanyeol said, breaking into a smile of his own, “When?”

“Last night,” Baekhyun told him with a chuckle. “While you were recovering from being on the road, I, too, was recovering from being on the road with a bunch of drunk Lambdas. And by recovering, I mean that Lucas was like, ‘Let’s keep partying!’ So next thing I know, we’re at this club, but it turned out cool because the DJ was insane. And then I saw her there,” he said, motioning toward the girl, “And I was like, ‘Hey! You’re in my Arranging class!’ so we started talking about the DJ and both agreed he was insane, and then started talking about music in general and needless to say, Chanyeol, meet my new bassist, Yeri.”

“Nice to meet you, new bassist Yeri,” Chanyeol said, giving her a big smile and extending his hand for a shake.

“Nice to meet you as well, injured basketball player Chanyeol,” she said, shaking his hand with a smirk.

“Oh yeah, and she knows who you are,” Baekhyun added. “She’s Jeongyeon’s little in the sorority.”

“What? Why?” Chanyeol said, looking horrified by this. Why did their world need to be so small?

“Because life is fun like that,” Baekhyun said with a snort. “Don’t worry. Yeri’s cool.”

“I don’t even care about being in a sorority,” Yeri assured him. “I just did it because I was bored.”

“I did it because the guy they sent to recruit me was adorable,” Baekhyun told her.

“That tracks,” Yeri nodded.

“Well, whatever bad stuff she’s said about me,” Chanyeol went ahead and said, “It’s probably true.”

Baekhyun bopped him on the top of his head for that and looked at Yeri as he shook his head, “Make a man use crutches, and suddenly he thinks the whole world is against him.”

“Crutches are the worst,” Yeri nodded.

Chanyeol gave a soft snort to their reaction and then looked at Baekhyun and said, “Rosé’s going to be bummed you didn’t pick her for the band.”

“Rosé was never a consideration for the band,” Baekhyun stated, and Chanyeol laughed.

“Rosé Park?” Yeri asked.

“No relation,” Chanyeol made sure to state.

“You know her?” Baekhyun asked.

“No, but the whole house is obsessed with her,” Yeri informed them, and both Baekhyun and Chanyeol groaned. “No, for real, they think she’s the perfect bad girl sidekick to Jennie’s good girl persona. We’re even having a theme party based on it, and half the girls are coming as Rosé, and the other half are coming as Jennie.”

“You’re joking,” Baekhyun said, and Chanyeol just stared at her confused by this notion.

“Nope. Basically, everyone’s going as whoever their fave of the two is,” Yeri explained.

“Which one are you picking?” Baekhyun then asked, and Chanyeol found himself intrigued by the answer as well for some unknown reason.

“Rosé, all the way,” Yeri said. “She’s badass. Jennie’s too pure for me. Not to mention, she dumped her hot ass boyfriend for some boring heir to an almond empire.”

“Wait, that rumor’s true?” Baekhyun asked.

“I hadn’t even heard that rumor,” Chanyeol admitted.

“I honestly stopped keeping up once she dumped Jongin,” Baekhyun said as he headed back toward his guitar. “Do you want to hear some stuff that Yeri and I were working on?”

He certainly did, and as they experimented around with their complementary sounds, Chanyeol felt even more inspired to open up his notebook and write down some lyrics and ideas for songs.

He had managed to get a full song written, as well as some notes down for a chord progression he thought would work for his Bay Bridge-inspired song by the time they were kicked out of the studio by the next person who had signed up for it.

“Do you need help getting home?” Baekhyun asked him as Chanyeol hopped on one foot and grabbed his crutches.

“No, I’ll be fine,” Chanyeol told them. “If I fall on Jefferson while trying to cross the street and get run over by a car, you can have my guitars and keyboards.”

“Sweet,” Baekhyun said, holding the door open for him.

Chanyeol did make it back to his place safely, and once he had set his crutches up against the wall and hopped over to the couch, he collapsed onto it and let out the hugest sigh of relief. He knew he could probably walk on it carefully if he wanted, but they had an important home game coming up in a couple of days against Oregon, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his chances of playing.

So, he elevated it and put on the TV and had purposely left his door unlocked since Sana mentioned she’d be stopping by to check on him. He ended up passing out, exhausted from being frustrated with his current physical situation, and he was woken up by the smells coming from his small kitchen, the sound of utensils against pans, and the faucet being turned on and off.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Sana said with a smile, once Chanyeol had sat up to look over toward the kitchen area.

“I didn’t even realize I had passed out,” he said, stretching his arms out and identifying the smell as soy sauce. “What are you making? It smells amazing.”

“I thought I’d make us some teriyaki chicken with rice tonight,” she told him. “Is that okay?”

“That’s more than okay,” he assured her. “I’d give you a hug, but I don’t want to deal with hopping over.”

“Stay sitting,” she said with a small laugh. “And keep your foot elevated.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said with his own chuckle, putting a pillow on his coffee table so he could prop his ankle up on it.

She came over and greeted him with a little kiss and then handed him a small plate of spicy tuna rolls to hold him over until she was done.

His relationship with Sana had become interesting in the time they had been together. He had initially thought they had understood each other when they said they’d hang out and be friends with benefits, but Sana always tended to go out of her way to really take care of him. When Chanyeol had mentioned this to Baekhyun, he had told him that she was obviously trying to convince him to make her his girlfriend.

So Chanyeol, having learned his relationship lessons from his disastrous one with Nayeon, confronted the issue and let Sana know that he really wasn’t looking to be in one. She had assured him that she understood, but she hadn’t changed her tactics, and, at some point, Chanyeol accepted that this was who Sana was. She was the type of person that needed to prove herself at all times, regardless of the amount of reassurances from Chanyeol or any of her friends for that matter. It was actually hearing Mina make a side comment about how they both struggled with confidence that affirmed it for him.

Once the food was ready, she joined him on the couch to eat, and he lowered the volume a little on the TV, even though she insisted that he didn’t have to.

“So, I met another one of your sorority sisters today,” Chanyeol told her as he started inhaling the food. “Yeri?”

“Oh,” Sana said, looking a bit puzzled. “Really? She’s a sophomore. How’d you meet her?”

“She’s, apparently, Baekhyun’s new bassist for his band,” Chanyeol informed her.

“Oh,” Sana said, nodding at this, “I forgot she was a music major. Really? She’s going to be in Baekhyun’s band?”

“Yep,” Chanyeol confirmed for her and then realized that his water bottle was too far away to grab, so he figured he’d mention it in a bit when he got even thirstier. “She told us about the party where everyone has to come dressed as either Jennie or Rosé. Which are you going as?”

“Oh God,” Sana said with a sharp laugh. “I was so against that idea. Mostly because it’s weird now that I’ve hung out with them. But I’ll be on Team Rosé for the night.”

“Really?” Chanyeol asked, intrigued by this, but maybe guessing that’s who’d she pick. “Why Rosé?”

“She’s more relatable than Jennie,” Sana answered, and that made perfect sense to Chanyeol.

“I think you should just go as yourself,” Chanyeol offered, “You’ll outshine them all.”

“You are so getting laid for that compliment,” Sana told him, and it was Chanyeol’s turn to laugh.

They were interrupted at some point with a knock on the door, and when Sana got up and opened it, Chanyeol smiled as he saw Kyungsoo on the other side.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, looking surprised, “Hey, Sana. I didn’t know you were over.”

“Hey! And yeah, I came by to make our injured athlete some dinner,” Sana said, letting him in.

“That’s so nice of you,” Kyungsoo said, looking over at Chanyeol, who had a mouthful of chicken as he put his hand up in a wave. “I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you were okay.”

Chanyeol gave him a thumbs-up as he finished chewing, and then he swallowed and said, “It’s just a sprain. Not even a bad one. I just have to stay off it until the game against Oregon.”

“Do you want some food?” Sana asked Kyungsoo.

“No, I’m good, thank you,” Kyungsoo told her. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just got out of my film class and thought I’d stop by and see if you’re okay. But you’re okay and in good hands, so I’ll head home.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything,” Chanyeol told him, “We were just eating and watching TV.”

“If you were interrupting anything, I wouldn’t have opened the door for you,” Sana said with a smirk, and Chanyeol snorted, always amused by how forward she was at times.

“Ha,” Kyungsoo said with an amused nod. “Good to know. I’ll keep an eye out for a sock tied on the doorknob next time.”

Chanyeol and Sana both chuckled at that, and Kyungsoo did leave them, which made Chanyeol a little sad because he really would have liked for him to stay longer. But he couldn’t be too sad because Kyungsoo had come by to check up on him and that made Chanyeol all kinds of happy.

As he watched TV with Sana, he mentally envisioned the timeframe he had set up for himself to make his life everything he wanted it to be. He was about a month away from the regular season ending, and then after they inevitably won the Pac-12 Tournament, they’d get into the brackets, coast their way to the national championship, and after he celebrated their monumental win, he’d come out to his parents, they’d accept it because they loved him, and then he would ask Kyungsoo to be his boyfriend and his life would be perfect.

He just had to wait a few more months.


	26. Chapter 26

Jongin knew that Jongdae had purposely been trying to keep him out of any discussions regarding Wendy’s birthday, and he knew it was because Jennie was helping him and he thought it might trigger Jongin, which was fine, except that Jongin really did think he could help out. He had finally told Jongdae to just let him help already, and when Jongdae expressed all his woes to him about wanting to make sure it was perfect and romantic so that she would say “yes” no matter what, Jongin had actually broken down and cried because he suddenly remembered his and Jennie’s perfect and romantic dinner to celebrate their 200-day anniversary last year.

Which was why Jongin had no idea what to expect when he arrived at the restaurant for Wendy’s birthday dinner. At least it’d be as much of a surprise for him as it was for her. Well, almost. He at least knew she was getting proposed to.

He ran into Kyungsoo on his way into the lobby, and after a quick hug as if they hadn’t seen each other in forever, the hostess at the stand directed them toward where their party sat.

“This is nice,” Jongin said, walking into the spacious and bright dining area that had floor-to-ceiling windows three-quarters of the way around to allow for the stunning view of the ocean.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo agreed. “I know Dae had a hard time because all the recs he got were really expensive places on the ocean, but he didn’t want Seulgi and Joy to feel uncomfortable with the prices, so Baek and I scoured Yelp and found this place for him. I think it’ll work.”

“I think so too,” Jongin agreed, wishing again that he could’ve been more helpful. It had been weeks since he had been dumped, and some days he thought he was finally over it and on his way to normal. Other days he felt upset all over again.

But he was determined to make sure that today was a good and normal day. He placed his gift at the edge of the table per Kyungsoo’s direction and then said “hello” to Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Wendy as he gave them all hugs in greeting.

“Chanyeol’s running late,” Kyungsoo let them know. “He just texted that he got stuck in traffic on the 405. There’s some big accident blocking everything.”

“Sounds like a day that ends in ‘y’,” Baekhyun joked. “I told him we should carpool down, but he said he wasn’t sure he’d get out of practice in time and didn’t want to hold me up just in case.”

“That was very courteous of him,” Kyungsoo said with a little annoying smile that made Jongin snort.

“Seulgi and Joy should be here soon,” Wendy reported. “They got stuck in traffic too, but they said they’re only about fifteen minutes away.”

“I would’ve made it for tomorrow night,” Jongdae pouted, “But they were booked for large parties, so I had to make it tonight.”

“It’s okay,” Wendy told him with a smile. “They’ll be here, and I love this view, so I’m glad we’re here now.”

Jongdae gave her a big smile, looking grateful he had gotten at least one point so far tonight, but then Kyungsoo interrupted the sentiment with, “If you had made it tomorrow night, then Chanyeol wouldn’t have been able to come because of his game.”

“Yes,” Baekhyun nodded after a sip of his water, “Because that’s exactly what was going to determine when Wendy’s birthday dinner happened or not.”

Jongin cracked up at this, and Jongdae laughed out loud.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Baekhyun smirked at Kyungsoo in a playful way, then looked at his phone and announced, “Jisoo just parked. Leave it to her to come from the furthest away and still make it on time.”

“Jisoo’s invited?” Jongin asked, low enough for only Kyungsoo to hear.

“She insisted,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Wendy was okay with it.”

Jongin nodded, but he felt confused by this. As far as he knew, Jisoo and Wendy hadn’t gotten particularly close, but maybe he didn’t know any better.

Jisoo made her entrance as she always did, with a confident stride, and put her gift down with the others. She said hello to the table, making her rounds to greet everyone and then hugging Wendy as she said, “Happy birthday, gorgeous.”

Kyungsoo got up to move to the other side of the table, and Jongin moved down a seat so that Joy and Seulgi could sit beside Wendy once they arrived. Jisoo ended up sitting next to Jongin instead of Kyungsoo, and Jongin gave her a questioning glance as she did so.

“It’s good to see you,” Jisoo told him, reaching for the glass of water in front of her. “How’s it going?”

“It’s surprising to see you,” Jongin admitted instead of answering the question. “I didn’t know you and Wendy were so close.”

“I like Wendy and wanted to join in on her celebration,” Jisoo explained. If she had taken any offense to his question, he didn’t notice as she answered easily and with nothing added to her tone.

“Where’s, Kevin?” Baekhyun obnoxiously asked Jisoo, “I was hoping to finally meet him.”

“At his family’s vineyard for the weekend, Braxton,” Jisoo replied with a smart-ass expression, and Baekhyun laughed.

“Baekhyun’s taken it personally that you didn’t wait for his approval before dating him,” Jongdae laughed.

“I thought his name was Evan?” Kyungsoo said, looking confused.

“Welcome to the joke,” Baekhyun said, patting him on the back, and Jongin snorted.

Their server came out with a board of cheese and cured meats for them to start with and asked them for their drink orders, Jongin saying he was fine with his water for now.

Joy and Seulgi arrived right after, and Joy sat beside Wendy as Seulgi settled in right next to Jongin.

“Oh, good, food,” Seulgi said, reaching to the board and grabbing one of the cold cuts, “I’m starving.”

“That took longer than it should have,” Joy agreed.

“I want to try the grilled octopus,” Baekhyun announced to the table, “Anyone else? Wait, can you eat that?” he then thought to ask Wendy.

“I think so,” Wendy said, looking as if she had to consider it. “If it’s cooked, I think it’s fine. I just know I can’t eat swordfish while I’m still breastfeeding.”

“No swordfish allowed at this table then,” Baekhyun declared, and Wendy chuckled at him.

“You guys can order whatever you want, I’m getting a steak,” she let them know.

“A steak sounds good,” Kyungsoo said, looking over the menu again after spending the last couple of seconds texting on his phone.

“I think I’m perfectly content eating this cheese and meat,” Seulgi said, savoring some cheese now. “It’s so good.”

“We can get another one,” Jongdae assured her.

“Do you want to split something?” Joy then asked Seulgi.

“Sure, what are you thinking?” Seulgi said, looking at her menu with her instead of her own.

Jongin looked at the prices and anticipated the answer before she said it.

“Wanna do the steak and pork belly?” Joy asked her, and Seulgi told her that sounded fine with her.

It was the cheapest plate on the menu, and Jongin wanted to offer to cover them if they wanted separate meals, but he wasn’t sure how to approach that, so he didn’t say anything.

“We’re still waiting on one person,” Jongdae let the server know, and when the server asked him if they wanted to get some small plates while they waited, everyone rattled off the things they wanted to try from the grilled octopus to the butternut squash gnocchi to the Kennebec fries.

“Chanyeol’s almost here,” Kyungsoo announced for them, and Jongin exchanged a look with Jongdae and Baekhyun, all of them appearing to understand each other without any words. If Kyungsoo was going to be this way about Chanyeol before they were even dating, how was he going to be once he actually was his boyfriend?

Not that Jongin thought it was ever going to happen. Even though Kyungsoo felt confident that Chanyeol would slowly come around to the idea of being “out,” Jongin had a feeling that Chanyeol wasn’t going to have that type of life-changing experience any time soon. But Yixing changing had given Kyungsoo some sort of hope that Chanyeol could too, and Jongin hoped Kyungsoo wasn’t waiting for years for it to happen.

Chanyeol did finally join them, and the way Kyungsoo’s face lit up was so adorable that Jongin almost wanted to take a picture of it. It was hard to be annoyed by the whole thing when it made Kyungsoo so happy, but he also did snicker along with Baekhyun at the reaction.

“Sorry, I’m so late,” Chanyeol told everyone, and he wished Wendy a “happy birthday” with a hug before sitting down beside Kyungsoo.

“We were late too,” Joy assured him with a warm smile.

“Jisoo was right on time,” Baekhyun announced for him, “Because she’s Type A and would probably short circuit if she was even a second late.”

“Oh, good,” Chanyeol remarked, “It’s nice to see that being with Devon hasn’t changed you.”

Baekhyun lost it, and Kyungsoo smacked both Chanyeol and Baekhyun and told them they were stupid, even as he laughed along.

“Do you have a new boyfriend?” Seulgi asked, looking across Jongin at her.

“I do,” Jisoo replied, pulling up his picture on her phone and showing it to her. “Unlike these idiots, he’s nice and a total gentleman.”

“He’s boring,” Chanyeol said, “He’s a Finance major. That’s the most boring major on the planet.”

“Is he the heir?” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol, “Or do I have him confused with the almond one? Is he the almond one?”

“His mom’s an heiress,” Jisoo confirmed, though he did feel the atmosphere of the table shift a little as Kyungsoo’s eyes darted toward Jongin and back to Baekhyun as if he needed to be quiet.

Jongin took a sip of his water and turned his attention to Seulgi, who had tapped his shoulder to get him to take Jisoo’s phone back after she had passed it down for Joy and Wendy to see the picture as well. Jongin handed the phone back to Jisoo and tried to not let the comment ruffle him up too much.

He knew about the almond guy. And they had to know that he knew because he lived with Lisa, who he could overhear on the phone with Rosé, Jisoo, or Jennie. So he knew that Jennie was seeing some heir to the California almond empire. He also knew that the guy was a wannabe actor, having gotten roles on some TV shows that were getting him noticed, especially among the same age demographic that most of Jennie’s fans were made up from.

She had managed to start dating him so quickly that Jongin could only assume that her mother had him lined up and ready to go for her once she dumped him, and Lisa all but confirmed it by saying that his mother did give Jennie three available options, and “almond guy” was the one she chose to go with.

“So, hey, Jongin,” Baekhyun said, and the way he sounded made him think that he wanted to make up for bringing up the “almond guy” in the first place. “Are we all getting tickets to the Summer Kyle tour this summer?”

Jongin smiled, glad they were talking about something that was an actual positive in his life. Summer’s single blew up just as her record label had hoped, and her second one was even bigger, with even more radio plays and an even bigger press tour, which inspired the company to send her on a small summer tour in theaters around the country. Tickets had gone on sale last weekend and had sold out in record time, and Summer had made Jongin the official choreographer for the show.

He was grateful for it because coming up with new choreo and helping to pick out some more dancers for the show had given him a chance to keep his mind off Jennie. Plus, it had given him a chance to focus and set new goals.

“She only gave me enough room on the guest list for my parents and sisters,” Jongin informed him, “Sorry.”

“What is the point of being your friend?” Jongdae said shaking his head. “Honestly.”

Jongin snickered, and Kyungsoo and Baekhyun joined in on lamenting that they weren’t going to invite Jongin to their movie premiers or concerts.

The server came back around at some point to take their actual entrée orders, and Jongin nibbled on some of the fries left on the plate as Seulgi leaned in a little to him.

“So how long are you going to be gone for?” she asked, reaching to grab a part of a fry that had broken off.

“Not that long,” Jongin told her. “It’s a really small tour. It’s only 15 dates starting in late May and ending mid-June.”

“I bet you’re excited,” she said, giving him a big smile.

“A little,” Jongin admitted, smiling back at her. “It’s my first real tour, and the first one I’m choreographing, so I’m a bit nervous about it.”

“Oh my God,” Kyungsoo then said, and Jongin looked over to see him looking at his phone.

“What happened?” Chanyeol asked him.

“Eric just emailed me,” Kyungsoo said, eyes big and round as he scrolled on his phone to read, “I have an audition on Thursday for a project where the director requested me. He sent me the sides and said he’d call me in the morning with more details.”

“What?” Jongin said, his heart leaping in excitement.

“Yes!” Jongdae said, clapping, “About time.”

“Oh shit,” Kyungsoo then said, his eyes getting wider by the second. “It’s a Netflix original movie based on a popular young adult novel.”

“Oh shit,” Chanyeol reiterated.

“Which one?” Joy asked, “Does it say?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes narrowed as he tapped some buttons, and then he said, “It’s called _Last August._ ”

“Oh, I loved that book,” Joy cooed. “It gets kind of dark, and I didn’t love that part, but the love story is really good. They probably want you to play Avery. He’s the only Asian character in the story, although he’s Japanese-American.”

“Let me guess,” Baekhyun said, “Nerdy sidekick?”

“Well,” Joy said, thinking for a moment, “Everyone in the story is nerdy. It’s about time traveling, and these students in this high school develop a way to travel through time, so he’s one of the students. He’s really cool, but he has a tragic end.”

“Does he die?” Kyungsoo asked.

“No, he gets stuck in time,” Joy told him. “The theory online is that there will be a sequel where trying to find him will be the main plot.”

“Franchise potential,” Baekhyun nodded, patting Kyungsoo on the back. “I like it. You need to book this.”

“Why is it called _Last August_?” Wendy asked her, “That doesn’t sound like it’s about time travel.”

“Oh, because the time travel device they’re using will only take them back and forth between the present August and the August of the year before. It’s because something bad happened the previous August that they have to fix. Like I said, it gets really dark.”

“This sounds so good,” Jongdae said.

“I’d watch it,” Jongin agreed.

“You don’t have a choice,” Jongdae told him, and Jongin smiled in acknowledgement of that fact.

“You guys,” Baekhyun said, lifting his glass of soda up, “This is our year. My band is almost complete, Kyungsoo’s about to win an Emmy, Jongin’s going on a sold-out tour, Chanyeol’s going to win a national championship, and Jongdae is going to survive skydiving on his twenty-first. Ladies, you need to step it up. Jisoo, dump Bob, he’s holding you back.”

Jongin let out the dumbest laugh, but he couldn’t help it. The name-changing of Evan never got old for him.

“Us ladies will be doing just fine this year,” Jisoo said, speaking on their behalf. “After this dinner, we’re going to dump all of you as friends before your egos get any bigger.”

“That’s for sure,” Seulgi said, looking a bit annoyed at Baekhyun, “Sorry that some of us have to work our way through college and don’t have time to focus on our dreams.”

“It was a joke,” Baekhyun said to her, “You always take everything so seriously.”

“Well some of us have to,” Seulgi argued back.

“Hey, guys, let’s not do this,” Joy said, trying to calm them both down.

“Girl, don’t sweat it,” Jisoo said to Seulgi. “Baekhyun’s never going to have his band together.”

“Lies. I just need the perfect lead guitarist,” Baekhyun pointed at her. “I’m so close. I can sense it.”

“What are you majoring in again?” Chanyeol asked Seulgi. “I don’t think I even know what school you go to.”

“Cal State Long Beach,” Seulgi told him. “And I’m a Marketing major.”

“Nice,” Chanyeol said with a big smile.

“Have you added a Dance minor yet?” Jongin asked her.

“No, I told you I’m not going to,” Seulgi told him, looking annoyed at him now instead.

“Guys,” Jongin said looking at the table, “help me convince her to add a Dance minor.”

“Add a Dance minor,” everyone said at the same time, but at different cadences, and Seulgi let out an annoyed sigh.

“It’s a minor,” Jongdae reiterated, “It won’t take away any of your time. You’ll just get to take some classes in something you love while you’re stuck in school. I have a minor, and it’s fun.”

“I’ll think about it,” Seulgi said, giving them a forced smile, “How does that sound?”

“Just doing it sounds even better,” Baekhyun told her, and she rolled her eyes at him.

“What about you?” Chanyeol then asked Joy. “I don’t think I know your school or major either.”

“I’m an English major at Vanguard,” Joy told him, and Chanyeol thought he may have misheard because he asked for the name of the school again.

“It’s a Christian college,” Jongdae explained to him, and Chanyeol nodded in understanding.

When their entrees finally came out, everyone attacked their food, making comments and insisting people try theirs. Jongin offered some of his salmon to Seulgi and Joy, and they did take a little piece each, offering their food in return, which he declined, not wanting to take the food they were sharing, and telling them he was trying to eat light tonight because of practice.

“It’s good to see you’re doing well,” Jisoo remarked to Jongin as they ate their salmons, both having ordered the same thing.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Jongin asked her, still wary of her intentions of being there. “Were you sent to check up on me and report back? You can let her know that I’m fine and am happy she found herself an heir her parents approved of.”

“Your defensiveness tells another story,” Jisoo pointed out, and Jongin sighed. “I’m not here to spy on you. I’m here to hang out with new friends I made that I haven’t seen in a while, as well as my two dumbass best friends. You wouldn’t know, but I’ve been pulling away from Jennie’s scene as well since your breakup. I’d much rather hang out with you guys.”

“Lisa mentioned you’d be pulling away,” Jongin went ahead and let her know. “She said both of you weren’t going to her parties anymore.”

“It’s become a spectacle,” Jisoo explained. “And I don’t need my picture taken coming out of a club I shouldn’t be in when I’m trying to become a lawyer.”

“Well, I’m sure her parents are pleased now that she’s a spectacle,” he said, as he cut the remaining part of his salmon into four pieces.

“Her mom’s thrilled,” Jisoo confirmed. “Jennie’s… not happy. But she’s playing her part well.”

“Sounds like a personal problem,” he said, more rudely than he needed to, but how could he feel sorry for her when she chose this over him?

“Yeah,” Jisoo said, not sure about his answer, but not able to refute it. “We all know that she made the wrong choice, including her, but… well, one day she’ll figure out how to stand up to her parents and create her own life.”

“And what about you?” Jongin decided to ask her, mostly to get off the topic of Jennie. “You’re not that different. You’re following your parents’ footsteps and dating your own heir that I know you can’t possibly be that into.”

“I’m well aware,” she said, putting her fork down to grab her unsweet tea to take a sip. “I do want to be a lawyer, but in a perfect world I’d be going into criminal law and making sure to lock up bad people instead of going into corporate law and helping financial crooks get away with their crimes.”

Jongin did think that it was a shame Jisoo wasn’t going into criminal law since, no doubt, she’d be an amazing lawyer and could do a lot of good.

“Evan’s nice,” she continued. “I wasn’t into him, but he asked me, out and I saw the opportunity there. He’s more than likely going to be Lambda president next year, which puts me on the path to being Kappa president the year after. Clout takes you far in the corporate law world.”

“So no plans on standing up to your parents and creating your own life then?” he inferred from her response.

“I’m not sure I want my life to be too different than theirs,” Jisoo admitted. “My parents are successful in everything. Their careers, their family, their children, even their tennis club matches and hiking groups that they organize are wildly successful. I’m a lot like them. I want the same thing. But Jennie isn’t like her parents. She’s not as fame-hungry as her mother, and she’s not as ruthless of a businessperson as her father, but she pretends to be both for them. It’s eating away at her soul, but she won’t stop it.”

“Again, sounds like a personal problem,” Jongin reiterated, even though a small part of his chest ached a bit at hearing this, only because he knew how true it was. So he tried to get the topic off Jennie again. “Have Rosé’s parents figured out she’s not in college yet?”

“Oh my God, did Lisa not tell you?” Jisoo said surprised.

“Uh, no?” Jongin said.

“Yesterday morning Rosé’s parents asked her to meet them for brunch, and they started asking her all these questions about why they didn’t receive any information about parent’s weekend.”

Jongin’s eyes went wide, and Chanyeol tuned in and said, “Wait, are we talking about Rosé?”

“I swear I thought you guys would’ve heard about it,” Jisoo said, looking at the table whose attention was now on her. She told them about the brunch meeting and Rosé’s response. “Rosé tried to lie that she gave the school her aunt’s address instead for guardian, and they said that she hadn’t received anything either. So then she said that it must’ve gotten lost in the mail, and what did they care anyway about coming to a parents’ weekend. So her parents told her that they knew she wasn’t going to school because a friend of theirs has a daughter who’s also a freshman, and the daughter said she’s never seen Rosé there.”

“Oh, snap,” Baekhyun said, and Jongin hated how intrigued he was, but he had been waiting for this to happen for so long that he felt completely invested.

“She tried to argue that it’s a big campus, but they said that the girl said everyone knows which celebs and socialites attend and no one’s ever mentioned her,” Jisoo continued.

“Her own persona betrayed her,” Jongdae said as if he had a huge realization. “That’s insane.”

“It did,” Jisoo nodded, “Her parents know that she’s a gossip blog regular now, so it devolved from there into the typical questions. What are you doing with your life? Why are you doing this? What are you planning on doing? And Rosé being Rosé told them that she’s doing just fine and even has an agent now that’s booking her modeling gigs and club appearances separate from Jennie.”

“She does?” Jongin asked, not having heard that either.

“Yeah, that was news to us too. Have you not talked to Lisa?” Jisoo asked, looking confused.

“I left to work before she woke up and didn’t get home until way later when she was already asleep,” Jongin explained.

“Ah, makes sense,” Jisoo nodded. “Well yeah, apparently she found some agent who’s hooking her up with work, so she quit the restaurant to focus on her new career as a ‘celeb’.” Jisoo used air quotes to emphasize this, and Jongin looked amazed.

“So they’re not going to do anything about it?” Chanyeol asked. “She’s just going to get away with it?”

“I think they realize there’s nothing they can do,” Jisoo told them, “Her parents aren’t the greatest and pretty much let her raise herself, so they have to deal with the fact that this is the mess they created. All she ever wanted was their attention, you know? Now she had it but, in the end, her dad told her that she was going to have to live with the consequences of her actions. And she told them that she’d be just fine and left. So that was that.”

“They just let her leave?” Jongin asked horrified.

“What were they going to do?” Jisoo asked him. “They know she’s not going to listen to them. I think they’re just hoping for the best. She’s technically an adult, almost of legal age, so I think they’re washing their hands of it.”

“Okay, now I feel bad for her,” Joy said, pouting a small bit.

“I mean,” Chanyeol shrugged, “I’ve always felt bad for her, but I feel like she didn’t have to take it to this extreme.”

“Agreed,” Baekhyun nodded, “I get that a lot of it was a cry for help, but part of it was her wanting to be dramatic for the sake of being dramatic.”

“Which could also be a cry for help,” Seulgi said to him like he was stupid for not realizing what he said.

“Why do you want to fight me on everything?” Baekhyun asked her point-blank with a laugh. “Wendy, why does your best friend hate me?”

“Because you called us losers, dumbass,” Jisoo told him.

“You’re obviously not losers!” Baekhyun defended, looking disbelieving and ready to laugh about it. “Fine, let me add you guys to the list, not only is it our year, guys, but it’s also the girls’ year. First, we have Jisoo, who is going to Argentina to study abroad and probably end up being the president of the country by the end of the semester, then we have Seulgi, who’s going to add dance to her major and end up getting cast in some big dance movie and win an Oscar, and Joy is going to write a best-selling novel about the life of Rosé, and Wendy is going to try out for a reality singing competition and win it! You guys, this is our year!”

“Yay!” Joy said, lifting up her water in celebration. “I like the sound of this year.”

“I do too,” Jisoo agreed, lifting her unsweet tea.

“I guess it could happen,” Wendy shrugged, amused by the predictions.

“Fine,” Seulgi said, lifting her glass of water, “You’re forgiven.”

“Yes!” Baekhyun said, “Cheers to being forgiven. Finally. After all these years. For everything.”

“You’re pushing it, Bryan,” Jisoo said, and they all chuckled as Baekhyun laughed at himself.

With their plates cleared away, the staff surprised Wendy with a scoop of ice cream and a candle in it as they sang her some birthday wishes that the table joined in with. And after she blew out her candle, Joy insisted that she opened her presents.

As she opened each one, Jongin could see Jongdae getting visibly more and more nervous, and he wondered if he had wrapped the ring in a box for her to open. But once the final gift was unwrapped and no ring had made an appearance, Jongin started to feel nervous too by extension.

Their check was brought out to them, and Jongdae took it, paying for it and letting everyone know he’d text them their amounts later. Once the bill was settled, they helped take the presents to Jongdae’s car, and then Jongdae suggested they should go take a walk on the beach and watch the sunset before leaving.

Jongin started getting excited all over again, and he exchanged a look with Kyungsoo, who seemed to be as giddy as he was about it. They headed down the wooden steps that led to the beach, the sun at exactly the right spot for everything to be bright and golden, and they followed behind Jongdae who then paused and turned to look at Wendy.

It was a good thing that she was facing Jongdae and not toward them, because at that moment, they all took their phones out to film what would happen next, and had she noticed, it would have ruined the element of surprise.

“I just remembered that I forgot to give you your birthday present,” Jongdae said to her with the kind of smile that Jongin knew well enough to know that Jongdae was nervous.

“Oh, I thought the dinner was my present,” she said.

“No, I mean, it’s part of it, but I have an actual present for you,” he said, and he fidgeted in the pocket of his sports jacket and then dropped to one knee in front of her as he took it out.

Jongin moved to get in a better position, as did everyone else, and the look of surprise on her face was priceless.

“So, I know we’re married and all,” Jongdae began, and Jongin’s heart was beating fast on Jongdae’s behalf. “But that kind of got off to a weird start. I want us to start over and do it right. You literally gave me the greatest present I’ll ever be given in my life, and there’s nothing I could give you that would even come close to you bringing Hans into this world. All I can give you in return is this. I want to be the greatest husband in the world to you, and I want to be your best friend, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want us to spend our days together, loving our daughter, singing about everything, laughing about everything, learning from each other, and loving each other. Wendy Shon, will you marry me?”

Wendy had her hands on her face, and the little breaths she took indicated that some tears had certainly spilled.

“Please?” Jongdae said, giving her his trademark grin.

She nodded first, wiping her eyes and cheeks really quick, and then said, “My name is Wendy Kim, and yes.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m going to cry,” Joy said, already crying.

“I am too,” Baekhyun said, “But that’s mostly because it’s so freaking cold out here.”

“You are so…” Seulgi said, giving him a glare, and Baekhyun laughed, which made her sigh.

Jongin kept filming as Jongdae slid the ring on her finger and then got up to give her a hug, but then Wendy surprised him with a little kiss, and Jongin’s eyes went wide in surprise.

So did Jongdae’s, who looked at her, smiled even wider, and then kissed her back.

“Finally,” Kyungsoo remarked to Jongin, “The man will get laid.”

Jongin snorted but nodded in agreement. It was nice to see them starting their relationship from scratch, and Jongin hoped that Wendy allowed herself to enjoy it fully.

Joy insisted that they needed engagement photos now with the sunset behind them, so she took on the duties of photographing them on her phone with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo directing the couple. Jisoo and Chanyeol stood off to the side talking as they watched the others involved in the photoshoot, and Jongin noticed Seulgi standing off to the side with her arms crossed, giving a small smile, but looking pensive.

Jongin went to stand beside her and asked, “What’s going through your mind?”

“So much,” she said and gave a soft sigh. “I’m happy for them. This is good.”

“It is,” Jongin agreed, staring at her and trying to read the thoughts she wouldn’t share. “So, you’re adding your dance minor first thing on Monday, right?”

Seulgi groaned, and Jongin reminded her that she said she would to everyone at the table, which essentially counted as a promise.

“What is the actual point?” Seulgi asked him, running her hand through her hair to fight against the wind blowing it in her face. “I dance in my living room just fine. There are great dance videos on YouTube where I learn choreo. I don’t need to make it my minor just to do it.”

“What are you afraid of?” Jongin decided to flat out ask her.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” she said, narrowing her eyes a little, “I just don’t see the point. Why take my passion academic if I’m not going to pursue it as my career? I dance for fun, not for a grade.”

“That’s fair,” Jongin nodded, certainly understanding that. “I guess, I just thought… I don’t know. You make a good point.”

“What did you think?” she asked him, crossing her arms again to protect against the nippy ocean breeze.

“I don’t know,” he said again, trying to figure out a way to explain what he had been thinking initially when he had suggested it. “I guess, knowing how much you loved to dance, but more than that, knowing how freaking great you are at it, I didn’t want you to give up on your dreams of dancing professionally.”

“I was never going to be a professional dancer,” she told him, “I can’t take those kinds of risks in my life. I need to go to college and make sure I get a good-paying and secure job.”

Jongin kind of knew this, but he didn’t completely understand it. To him, Seulgi’s situation seemed like one where she didn’t need to be so hard on herself, but it was clear she felt differently. He knew she came from a modest background, even more so than Joy and Wendy, and that they struggled financially a lot, and he knew that Seulgi wanted to both help out and make sure that she didn’t end up like her parents. She was determined and on a mission, but Jongin didn’t think her passion had to be sacrificed for it to happen.

“And you will,” Jongin told her with a smile, wanting to lighten her mood a bit more. “However, I am in town for the weekend, and I happen to have some studio time booked at my old dance studio down here, so I think you should join me tomorrow.”

Seulgi looked like she wasn’t believing his intentions, and Jongin chuckled and then gave her a bright smile.

“Two reasons,” Jongin then decided to add as he held up two fingers. “One, I need to work through some of the choreo for the tour and could use some feedback, and two, it’s a fun way to spend a Saturday. I’ll even buy you lunch. How’s that?”

She looked dubious but then a smile crept onto her face and she shrugged and said, “I mean, if you’ll buy me lunch, then fine.”

Jongin smirked, knowing that deep down inside, she was probably excited to get into a dance studio again.


	27. Chapter 27

“I’m not letting you go alone! It’s too dangerous!” Hailee yelled at Kyungsoo, looking panicked as he jumped onto the couch.

“It’s only dangerous if I don’t make it back,” he told her, and then gave her a pointed look. “Get me back.” And with one last lingering look, Kyungsoo hopped off the couch as if jumping into a crazy time vortex void.

“That was the best one,” Hailee said, pointing at him, “That way. Do it that way tomorrow.”

“Shit, what did I do?” Kyungsoo said, trying to remember back through the choices he had just made.

“I honestly don’t understand why the love story isn’t between these two,” Baekhyun said, sitting in the armchair of their apartment as he read through the young adult novel itself. Kyungsoo had picked up a copy the morning after the dinner to read it and try and get a feel for the character.

“That’s what I said,” Hailee agreed, sitting on the couch and taking a drink from her baby blue Kappa Kappa Gamma water bottle. “Serene and Avery have way more chemistry in that book than her and Cooper. Also, Avery’s the better character all around.”

“That’s why they had to get rid of him,” Baekhyun said, turning the page. “Otherwise she’d have no real reason to pick Cooper. He’s pretty useless.”

Kyungsoo paced back and forth, running the last few lines through his mind and miming the actions.

“After the movie airs,” Hailee then said, “I bet that Serene and Avery will be the popular ship.”

“The popular what?” Baekhyun asked her.

“Ship, you know, when two people are shipped together. Like Katniss and Peeta in Hunger Games was a ship,” Hailee explained.

“You kids these days are weird,” Baekhyun teased, and Kyungsoo finally sat on the couch, thinking he had it straight in his head how he would act it out during the audition tomorrow. He’d quiz himself before going to bed just to make sure.

“Okay, grandpa,” Hailee teased back, and then she looked at Kyungsoo and asked, “So have you gotten any more audition requests?”

As it turned out, the reason that Kyungsoo had been requested for this part was because the director had attended the Sundance Film Festival where he had seen the gang movie Kyungsoo had done, and as Eric put it to him when he talked to him on the phone, “The film screening created a lot of buzz. Especially for you. I’m leveraging it in every way possible.”

The best news, however, to come out of it was that the film had officially been picked up for distribution, which meant that come June, Kyungsoo’s debut as an actor would be seen in indie movie theaters across the country.

“Not requests,” Kyungsoo told her, “But Eric did get me an audition for an Amazon original. It sounds really cool. It’s about international spies.”

“You’d be an awesome spy,” Hailee told him, excited already.

“I don’t think my part would be a spy sadly,” Kyungsoo said, scrunching his nose in his own display of disappointment, “I think it’s for a side character that knows information or something.”

“You should be a spy,” Baekhyun said, still reading through the book, “You’re pretty stealth.”

“Maybe at the audition they’ll think you should be a spy instead,” Hailee nodded.

“The dream,” Kyungsoo sighed, looking over the sides again.

He had to get this role. He knew that he had no choice but to. He hadn’t gotten anything outside of student films since the gang movie almost a whole year ago, and it was making him nervous. Especially since Junmyeon was booking jobs left and right. He didn’t want to feel as if he was in competition with him, but it was clear that Junmyeon was fitting the roles better visually since Kyungsoo knew Junmyeon’s acting wasn’t significantly better than his.

“Why do I have to look so young?” Kyungsoo pouted, thinking this through.

“You look perfect for this part,” Hailee assured him.

“Oh, come on,” Baekhyun said, looking far too annoyed for it to be related to Kyungsoo’s statement, “Obviously Cooper’s not going to find the diary. Come on, Serene, you can’t be that dumb.”

Kyungsoo and Hailee looked at each other and then started cracking up.

***

Auditions always made Kyungsoo a bit nervous, but this one made him even more so. The expectation of having been requested made Kyungsoo not want to disappoint the director, and he didn’t want the director to think he could only act in one way unless the director wanted him to play the same role, but the two roles seemed so different that Kyungsoo couldn’t imagine that’d be the case.

After pleasantries were exchanged, one of the casting assistants read with him, and Kyungsoo did his best to put in the same energy that he had last night when he had been rehearsing with Hailee.

“Nice,” the director said, giving a nod of approval. “Can you do it again, but this time as if you’re not sure you’ll make it back?”

Kyungsoo nodded, reworking it in his mind to lose the confidence he had in Serene’s abilities, and he did it again.

The director gave a single clap as he clasped his hands together and stared at him.

“You’re perfect. You might be too perfect.”

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows in alarm, “I can do it again,” he said, not sure how he was supposed to react to that comment.

The director laughed and explained, “I just mean that you might end up stealing the spotlight from Cooper. We haven’t cast him yet, but we’re down to two actors for the role. I’m going to set up a chemistry read for you, the two actors, and Madison, who will be playing Serene. Are you available tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo said without hesitation. He certainly wouldn’t need to worry about classes ever again if he booked this job.

“Great,” the director said, writing something down in the notebook in front of him.

As Kyungsoo left the audition, he felt his nerves really start to rattle. He had never done a chemistry read before and now he wondered how the heck he was supposed to prepare for that.

He texted Yixing to let him know that he was out of his audition and could meet up for an early lunch, and then called Junmyeon from his car as he drove to the burger place that Yixing told him to meet him at.

“Chemistry reads are fun,” Junmyeon explained to him as Kyungsoo merged onto the 10. “Just be yourself and be nice to everyone. If you make her laugh and feel comfortable then you’ve got it.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Kyungsoo told him, passing the slow car in front of him. “You’re an extroverted people-person who treats everyone like they’re your new best friend the moment you meet them. I’m a shy introvert that people think is mean because of my astigmatism.”

“You really should consider LASIK,” Junmyeon told him. “And don’t worry. Your energy is good. The moment she sees you smile, it’s over. Also, do that doe-eyed confused look thing that you do. That’s your secret weapon.”

“My what confused what?” Kyungsoo asked, not knowing what that look could possibly be. “And whatever, you blind person. You should consider LASIK.”

“My blindness doesn’t make me look mean,” Junmyeon pointed out. “Either way, be yourself. Just pretend Madison is Chanyeol and light up the way you light up around him.”

“I don’t light up around him,” Kyungsoo argued, but even the mere mention of Chanyeol’s name had put a dumb smile on his face.

“I remember my first chemistry read,” Junmyeon then began, and Kyungsoo listened to him as he drove, trying to decipher the actual pieces of advice between all the boring details of Junmyeon essentially bragging about how well he gets along with everyone he meets.

By the time he walked into the burger place for lunch, he did feel a bit calmer and better prepared for his meeting. Yixing was waiting for him inside and he waved at him when he saw him, which Yixing returned with both dimples on display.

They ordered at the counter then took their number to a corner booth with a view of the pedestrian street outside, which was getting busy with the lunch crowd.

“Does your data entry job make you dress up?” Kyungsoo asked once they had settled in. “You look nice.”

Yixing looked down at his button-down shirt and slacks as if he had to make sure of what he was wearing, “Oh, it’s a business casual kind of place, but I haven’t done laundry so I’m down to nicer clothes.”

“Hate when that happens,” Kyungsoo said, and then he sighed and lamented, “You know, I took for granted my mom doing all my laundry. I told my dad that he should appreciate mom for that because laundry is hard.”

“I took everything for granted,” Yixing agreed, taking the paper off his straw. “Dishes, laundry, cleaning the bathroom. I hate cleaning the bathroom.”

“Same,” Kyungsoo nodded. “I told Baek we should just hire a cleaning service, but he said that we’d ruin our college experience by not living in filth like our fellow students.”

Yixing chuckled at that, and when their burgers and fries were brought to their table, that’s when Yixing brought up something that Kyungsoo wasn’t expecting.

“So, I heard about you and Taeyong breaking up,” Yixing mentioned, and Kyungsoo looked surprised until he realized that of course Junmyeon would have told his new friend at some point.

“Junmyeon is such a gossip,” Kyungsoo said, deflecting, “If I had known you two would become such good friends, I would have kept you far away from each other. You both were insufferable enough independent of each other.”

Yixing snorted and took another big bite of his burger, chewing thoughtfully, then asking, “You weren’t going to tell me about it?”

“It’s not that,” Kyungsoo told him with a shrug, “I just didn’t think about it much after it happened. I felt bad… I mean, he made me feel pretty bad about it, so I decided not to think about it and just move on.”

“How did he make you feel bad?” Yixing asked, reaching for a napkin.

Kyungsoo reached for one too since he had ordered a rather messy burger packed with habaneros, serrano peppers, grilled onions, and both salsa and a chipotle aioli. His mouth was on fire and the juices were dripping all over his tray and fingers.

“I told him that I had feelings for Chanyeol but wanted to keep seeing him since Chanyeol was still in the closet and nothing could be done about it for now, and he accused me of wanting to use him, which, he had a point, but that’s not how I had been thinking about it when I suggested it,” Kyungsoo tried to explain. It wasn’t until days after that Kyungsoo clearly understood why Taeyong took it that way, and he had felt like an even worse human being about it.

“How did you not… I mean, like, how were you thinking about it when you suggested it?”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said, really wishing they could talk about anything else. “I guess I felt like nothing had to change, but I hadn’t thought ahead about how the truth coming out would affect everything. Anyway, Taeyong dumped me, and that’s that. It’s done.”

“So is your plan to stay single until Chanyeol comes around?” Yixing watched him for his answer, and Kyungsoo could sense already that Yixing was hoping for a specific answer. He wasn’t sure what that answer would be though, so he just answered honestly.

“Yep,” Kyungsoo said, his smile brightening now that they were on a better topic. “I know he’s waiting for basketball season to be over to come out to his parents. That’s only another month or so.”

Yixing watched him for a moment, not taking a bite of the burger in his hand, but not saying anything either.

Kyungsoo had a feeling he wasn’t going to love whatever he said next, so he tried to get ahead of it by saying, “Thanks for talking to Chanyeol, by the way. I was skeptical at first, but it led to this, which is awesome.”

Yixing gave a crooked smile and said, “No worries. He’s an interesting person.”

“Yeah, that’s part of what I like about him,” Kyungsoo agreed. “I like the way he thinks. We actually think a lot alike about things.”

“I can definitely see that,” Yixing nodded, turning his attention back to his food. “Speaking of Chanyeol, I really like his friend Minseok a lot.”

“Oh?” Kyungsoo said, surprised to hear him mention him. “Have you been hanging out with him too on the side?”

“A little,” Yixing said and chuckled, his expression one of amusement with himself. “It’s Junmyeon’s fault. Junmyeon really liked him and got his number, so the three of us hung out at a bar. It was fun to get to know him better. I admire how together he is, so I’m trying to learn from him.”

“I don’t actually know him that well,” Kyungsoo admitted. “But I know he’s been there for Chanyeol a lot, so I know he’s a good guy.”

“He is,” Yixing nodded, “His birthday’s coming up at the end of the month so Junmyeon and I have already told him we’re taking him to dinner. I also told him I’d do a special dance for him at the club.” Yixing snickered at this as if it was an inside joke, and Kyungsoo laughed.

“I’m sure he would love that,” Kyungsoo said, and then mentioned, “I haven’t had a chance to come see you again.”

“I didn’t think you would,” Yixing acknowledged, finishing his burger and grabbing more napkins to clean his hands.

“I think we’re past that,” Kyungsoo shrugged, “I mean, if you wouldn’t want me to, I won’t, but I do miss clubbing there.”

“I don’t mind it,” Yixing affirmed for him with a warm smile. “You can give me critiques on my new moves. I’ve picked some up from the other dancers.”

“Sounds fun,” Kyungsoo cheesed, finishing his sandwich as well. “This burger was so good. How are you not here every day for lunch? Or are you?”

“If I was here every day, I wouldn’t make rent,” Yixing joked. “Everything in this area is expensive because of all the tech companies. I usually bring my instant ramen and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat.”

“Oh yeah,” Kyungsoo said thinking about where they were. “Isn’t YouTube up the street? And Facebook?” He made an annoyed face, “My agent’s on me to make social media accounts, but I really don’t want to. It’s so much pressure.”

“I didn’t get the appeal before,” Yixing told him, picking at his fries. “But once I found my… I don’t know, new path, I guess we’ll call it, I found that it gave me a voice. I mostly share social justice posts and things related to LGBTQ rights, and it’s helped me shape my identity a bit, especially with my major I’m pursuing. Every now and then I’ll post a selfie or a picture of the ocean or whatever, but I keep it mainly focused on causes.”

“Wow, I didn’t know,” Kyungsoo said, a bit impressed. “How many followers do you have?”

“Not many,” Yixing chuckled. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I have 600. It’s just not many compared to your other friends. Junmyeon was the one who gave me advice on it. He has like 8,000 followers.”

“8,000?” Kyungsoo asked, shocked that he had more than 10. Honestly, what was it about Junmyeon that attracted people? “Wait, how many do other people have? How many does Chanyeol have?”

Yixing smiled at him and took his phone out to go through everyone’s Instagram accounts first.

“Chanyeol’s got 7,000 on Instagram and about 1,800 on Twitter,” Yixing said, scrolling through Chanyeol’s Instagram feed, which was made up of either great shots of him on the court during USC games or him in a studio playing a guitar. How was he not aware of these amazing pictures existing within such easy reach?

Kyungsoo took out his phone and handed it to Yixing, “Help me make an account so I can follow him.”

“Just to follow him?” Yixing teased him. “I’ll help you make an account to promote your acting, and then you can follow him.”

“Sure, that works,” Kyungsoo agreed.

They managed to get his name on the first try for his username, @kyungsoodoh, not taken by anyone thankfully, which Yixing pointed out would be great for his brand visibility when people searched for it. And then Kyungsoo took a selfie at an angle where only half his face was showing, with most of the shot being the window of the restaurant, and he posted it with the caption “My agent told me to make this account.”

“You’re so…” Yixing said, looking at him almost disbelieving, and then he shook his head and sighed.

“But it’s true,” Kyungsoo whined. “Okay, now help me find Chanyeol so I can follow him.”

Yixing told him to calm down but helped him find Chanyeol, and then Baekhyun, who had even more followers than Chanyeol.

“Why does Baek have 11,000 followers?” Kyungsoo said confused. “What does he even do? His feed is all just selfies.”

“He’s cute,” Yixing said, and when Kyungsoo raised his eyebrow, Yixing continued, “He started his account a long time ago, so it’s had time to build up followers. Not to mention he’s a regular in the open mic circuit and his parents are famous and Korean tabloid regulars. Plus, he’s cute.”

“How do you know so much about him?” Kyungsoo asked, wondering if Yixing was having secret lunches with him too.

“I follow him?” Yixing pointed out like the answer was obvious. “I see his content. It’s tailor-made for popularity.”

“Okay, help me find Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, moving on to the next person. He found him and noticed he had a blue checkmark after his name, and then blinked when he saw the number of followers. “Wait, how many followers… does that say 300,000? That can’t be right.”

Yixing gave him a wry smile and said, “Were you unaware your best friend was famous?”

“No, it’s not that, I mean… wait, but… it’s Jongin.” Kyungsoo was not able to comprehend that this was his Jongin that had that number, but as he scrolled through his feed, it was confirmed that it very much was his Jongin since all the pictures were of him dancing or from his modeling shoots.

“That’s Kai to everyone else,” Yixing pointed out, showing him the username for Junmyeon so he could add him next.

By the time they had to wrap up so Yixing could get back to work, Kyungsoo had managed to follow Minseok, Lisa, Logan, Lucas, Hailee, Kris, and, of course, Yixing as well. He also shot off an email to Eric letting him know his Instagram and Twitter accounts, his one and only Tweet so far also being, “My agent told me to make this account.”

When he got back home, Baekhyun pounced on him excited about this new development.

“I can’t believe you finally made an Insta account and followed Chanyeol first,” Baekhyun said, laughing as he pointed to him.

“Wait, how did you know I followed him first?” Kyungsoo asked, once his shoes were off.

“Your following and followers order are shown in chronological order. I guess I should be honored I was second instead of Jongin,” Baekhyun mused.

“Wait, really?” Kyungsoo said, plopping onto the couch and tucking his legs under each other as he got comfortable and opened his Instagram account back up. “Oh God, what is all this?”

Baekhyun sat beside him, and chuckled, “People were excited about this. Those are your likes,” Baekhyun pointed out, “those are comments, and those are your DMs, oh and those are your mentions.”

“What?” Kyungsoo said again, feeling overwhelmed as he clicked on each thing to see all this activity he hadn’t been expecting.

He had a ton of likes and more comments than he knew what to do with. He also already had 49 followers, which was weird since he had only followed like 10 people.

_@kimkai: Wait, is this really you?!_

_@suhokim: Finally. Today is the beginning of the rest of your life. Congratulations._

_@bryan_baek_byun: Holy shit! YOU’RE HERE!!! Thanks, agent!_

_@chanyeolpark_10: I’m your first follow._ _😊_

_@lisa_manoban: Welcome to the madness._

_@lucaswithanl: YAY!_

_@jessicakim_sooyah: Love the selfie. Welcome._

_@wuyifan_kris: Congrats. Nice selfie._

_@drinkme_sweetrose: Bitch, I know you didn’t open this and not follow me. Don’t be a punk. Follow me back!_

_@irenebaebae: This is so exciting! FB._

_@haileehails: Yes! The takeover begins!_

_@loganwade_: Agents…_

_@daedaekim: Asshole, look what you made me do._

Kyungsoo almost yelped, “Dae created an account?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said, laughing as he clapped, “I called him as soon as I saw this, and he called you all sorts of names and said you were a traitor to the race. I told him that it was time for him to open his so he can show off his art, so he caved and said he was only doing it because he really wanted to show off his drawings of Hannah.”

“Such a dad,” Kyungsoo said, clicking on Jongdae’s name to follow him back and see that he had indeed posted a drawing of Hannah as his first post. He went to read his comments as well.

_@kimkai: What is going on today?!_

_@bryan_baek_byun: Can you draw me like one of your French girls?_

_@chanyeolpark_10: Wow, you drew that? You’re amazing._

_@jessicakim_sooyah: I’m ready to buy all of your artwork._

_@wuyifan_kris: Nice._

_@drinkme_sweetrose: Follow me, you whore._

_@lucaswithanl: Hannah’s the prettiest baby ever._

_@sseulgik: What a great drawing of my love_ _❤_

 _@peaceandjoypark: So beautiful_ _❤_

_@yixing_zhang_: Thanks for the follow. Beautiful baby and drawing._

_@suhokim: Your talent is too great to hide. I’m glad you’ve decided to share it with us._

_@wendyandbright:_ _❤_

Kyungsoo went through and followed Seulgi, Joy, and Wendy, and then he went ahead and followed Rosé back, just because. He then looked through his list of followers, not recognizing most of the names until he started getting to the bottom of the list and seeing the familiar ones. He also saw one that he wasn’t expecting.

“Is this Jennie?” he asked, clicking on it.

“Yeah, I noticed she followed both you and Dae,” Baekhyun confirmed for him before her profile could load.

“What the…” Kyungsoo said, looking at her numbers, “She has 12 million followers?”

“And counting,” Baekhyun nodded.

“Well, I’m not going to be one of them,” Kyungsoo said, closing out of it to go back and look through some of the others.

“Yeah, Dae isn’t following her back either even though they haven’t stopped talking and she’s been helping him with Wendy stuff,” Baekhyun informed him. “It makes sense. I debated unfollowing her, but I was friends with her outside of Jongin, so I just kept it.”

“No, I agree,” Kyungsoo said, knowing that there was no real reason for anyone outside of him and Dae to not follow her. “Who are all these other people following me?”

“More than likely fans of Jongin’s and Jennie’s. They’ll follow anyone they follow just in case you ever drop any pictures of them,” Baekhyun explained, and Kyungsoo shook his head.

“People are so weird. Why would anyone…” and then he stopped mid-thought, realizing the method behind that madness. He knew for a fact that Christopher Nolan didn’t have social media accounts, part of his inspiration for not having any of his own, but now that he had gone to the dark side, he realized he could follow the people connected to him, whether actors working with him on his new project or those that had worked with him before on a regular basis.

He spent the rest of the night, exploring his friends’ Instagram accounts, impressed by some of their pictures and aesthetics, and amused by some of their random posts, while being genuinely impressed by Yixing’s social justice posts and Jisoo’s social awareness posts in between her sorority and bikini shots. But it was Chanyeol’s account that he scrolled through as he lay in bed to go to sleep.

Going back through the history of Chanyeol was an amazing experience that Kyungsoo couldn’t have even predicted. When he finally made it back to his first post, he found himself staring at the Chanyeol he remembered well from the basketball games in high school, longish hair framing his face as a swoop of it covered one eye. He sat at his desk at school, the selfie caption simply reading, “Bored.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t take it, and he fell into the giddiest sleep he had ever had.

***

The morning of his screen test, Kyungsoo felt refreshed and in the best mood ever. When he entered the office to meet with the casting director and the film director again, he was relaxed, excited, and giving smiles left and right. He had arrived a bit early, which allowed him to go over the lines a few times to make sure he had them completely memorized and felt even more confident by the time he was informed that they were ready for him.

He followed the casting director to a conference room where he was introduced to Madison, a blonde and green-eyed girl who looked to be a bit older than him, and who was about an inch shorter than him.

“I’m not sure I’m saying your name right,” the casting director apologized to him after the introduction, and Kyungsoo told her it was fine.

He then turned to Madison and told her, “You can call me Soo for short if it’s easier.”

“No, I want to say it right,” she insisted, which he instantly liked, and it made him smile even more. “Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, and she gave him a big smile back.

“Is it a family name?” she then asked him.

“No, it’s just a Korean name. I was originally born in Korea but moved here when I was a baby. I have an American name, but I like my real name better,” he explained, though he may have been rambling. It seemed his nerves had finally caught up to him.

“What’s your American name?” Madison asked him, looking both amused and intrigued.

“I’m not telling,” Kyungsoo said, making a scrunchy face as he shook his head.

Madison laughed at him and said, “I’ll get it out of you.”

“Okay,” the casting director said, interrupting them, “We have the camera ready to go, so whenever you’re ready, you can start the scene.”

They both nodded and Kyungsoo got into character, diving right into the explanation of what they had uncovered that made him realize he needed to go back in time. Aside from fitting the physical description of Serene in the book, Madison also embodied her, doing the whole emotional high school teen thing rather well as she told him not to go.

Kyungsoo got physical, making sure to emotionally pull away as he took steps back, then he leaped into the time vortex, letting out a nervous breath as he turned back around to see what both Madison and the director thought.

“You are so good,” Madison told him, her eyes wide. “I almost jumped into the vortex after you.”

Kyungsoo’s entire face scrunched up as he laughed at her comment, and then he said, “Thanks. You’re also good, and suddenly familiar. I feel I’ve seen you… wait, were you George Clooney’s daughter in that movie that got nominated for a Golden Globe last year?”

“I was,” Madison said, looking coy and proud at the same time. “Did you like it?”

“Yeah, that was a really good movie,” Kyungsoo told her, trying not to geek out but having to ask, “What was it like to work with him?”

“It was such a great experience,” she told him, pushing some strands of hair behind her ear. “He’s the nicest guy, and he gave me great advice.”

“That is so cool,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Alright,” the casting director said, “Let’s get Cooper in here.”

Kyungsoo knew from the book that Cooper was supposed to be the tall, dark, and handsome type, essentially the stereotypical high school leading man that was both on the football team and in a garage band, as if that existed.

The guy who walked in was not quite what he had envisioned, but he was certainly tall, with tan skin and rich, brown eyes. Kyungsoo had to do a double take because he was really good looking. Like stupidly good looking.

“Hey, again,” the guy said to Madison with a small wave.

“Hey,” she said with a chuckle. “Gabriel, this is Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo, Gabriel.”

“Nice to meet you, man,” Gabriel said extending his hand, and Kyungsoo shook it and told him it was nice to meet him as well.

“Okay, guys,” the casting director said to them with a big smile that Kyungsoo took as a good sign. “Let’s do the lunchroom scene where you guys discuss your plan of action.”

The three actors sat around a small table that had been set up for them and started the scene, playing easily into each other and feeding off of each other’s cues. Madison was seasoned, and it was obvious why she was chosen to lead this movie and possible franchise. Gabriel had good instincts, and Kyungsoo enjoyed some of the curveballs, improving a bit as he rolled with them. And whatever Kyungsoo brought to the table, both Madison and Gabriel seemed to easily play off it as if they really were friends sitting around a lunchroom table in high school together. It was so natural that Kyungsoo wasn’t even sure he was in character.

They did it a few times in different ways, and then they looked at the film director, who had a huge smile on his face as he watched them with his arms crossed.

“I think we found our trio,” he stated, and the casting director beside him agreed.

It didn’t feel real. And even as they posed for some pictures together to commemorate the moment and exchanged numbers with each other, it still didn’t feel real. And technically it wasn’t. Not until the contracts were in Eric’s hands and Kyungsoo was signing them. But still. This was really happening. He had finally booked another job, and this one was going to be huge. It was a Netflix original film, which meant it would have a lot of buzz. It was based on a beloved best-selling young adult book, which meant it already had fans and people anticipating it. And it had a good-sized budget, which meant he was probably going to get enough from it to drop out of school and get his own place and make his career finally happen.

He waited until he was back in his car to let Jongin, Jongdae, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Logan, Hailee, and Junmyeon know, adding them all to one group chat so he could send the message to them at the same time. The replies came quick, with congratulations and Jongin saying they needed to take him to dinner.

Kyungsoo was definitely not going to say no to that, and he told them he was down, and then Baekhyun gave him a reminder.

_Baekhyun: Put it on your social media!_

Kyungsoo bit his lip as he pulled up the pictures that the casting director had texted to them. Kyungsoo smiled as he looked at them again and picked the one where he least-looked tiny compared to Gabriel.

He posted it on his Instagram with the caption, “Met these cool people today. You’ll find out why soon…” He made sure to tag both Madison and Gabriel, as Baekhyun had instructed him to do when posting pictures of other people.

Almost immediately he got a notification, and when he clicked on it, he saw that Madison had put his post in her Instastory with her own caption: CAN’T WAIT OMG!

He returned the favor when he went to her account and saw she had posted a different picture from the set with the caption, “Me and my boys. New project coming soon. You’re going to love!”

Kyungsoo tried hard to drive home without checking his phone for notifications, but every time he heard a new chime, he wanted to check to see what people were saying. He got to finally do it when he got stuck at a red light, and he immediately picked up his phone and scrolled through the comments to his picture.

_@bryan_baek_byun: Remember me in your Emmy speech!_

_@suhokim: Congratulations. I knew you had this._

_@chanyeolpark_10: I’m freaking out for you!_

_@haileehails: So you’re going to introduce me to Cooper, right?_

_@daedaekim: I can say I knew you when._

The light turned green, so Kyungsoo had to put his phone back down before he could finish. He drove home feeling giddy with excitement. He still couldn’t get over how well it had all gone, and how much he had enjoyed working with his new co-stars. He already knew he was going to have so much fun filming the movie.

***

The celebration turned into a larger affair than Kyungsoo had thought, with Jongin explaining that when word got around, everyone got really excited and wanted to join in on congratulating him. That’s how they ended up at a family-style Mexican restaurant not far from campus, taking over several tables that had been put together for them while passing around large plates of just about everything on the menu.

Chanyeol had sat to Kyungsoo’s right and kept insisting on filling up his plate each time Kyungsoo thought he had made a dent.

“Stooop,” Kyungsoo whined at him, “I’m already getting full.”

“Yeah, but you really liked these enchiladas,” Chanyeol insisted, giving him more than necessary, than taking the final one for himself.

“Dae,” Baekhyun said from across Kyungsoo to Jongdae who was sitting on Kyungsoo’s left, “I don’t think you need to order food to-go for your mom. Just take all the leftovers on the table.”

“Bold of you to assume I’m not eating the rest of these fajitas,” Lucas said, adding more chicken and shrimp to his tortilla.

“There’s a whole other plate of them on the other side of the table,” Baekhyun pointed out to him, motioning toward the one in between Wendy and Jisoo.

Lisa had come as well, which had both surprised Kyungsoo and made him really happy, but she was on the other side of the table next to Jongin, listening to Junmyeon tell some story that had the attention of the people on that side, except for Irene who just smiled in amusement as she ate her food. Kyungsoo did wonder how she put up with him on a 24-hour basis.

Chanyeol hadn’t brought Sana along, which also made Kyungsoo happy. He didn’t have anything against Sana and liked her just fine, but that was probably because he knew the thing with Sana was going to be temporary, and Chanyeol had made it super clear to Sana that they were never going to be anything serious, so she was fine as far as Kyungsoo was concerned.

“Okay, I have a very important question for you, Lucas,” Kyungsoo said as he gave his stomach a rest for a moment.

“Yes, I’ll do it,” Lucas said, so earnestly that Kyungsoo wanted to give him a hug and tell him to stop being such a good person all at once.

“No,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head with the most amused smile on his face. “Now that I’m on Instagram, I noticed that your handle is ‘lucaswithanl’. I just want to know how people were spelling your name that you felt the need to clarify that. Like what else could Lucas start with?”

Baekhyun cracked up so hard that he had to put his fork down.

“Hey!” Jongdae said nodding, “I was wondering that too.”

“Oh,” Lucas said nodding back at them. “Because lucaswithac was already taken, so I went with lucaswithanl.”

Kyungsoo blinked as Jongdae sucked his lips in to keep from laughing.

“Makes sense,” Kyungsoo said, even though it didn’t really, and he noticed Baekhyun snickering. “You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?”

Baekhyun nodded, and managed to get out, “I had asked him before,” before snickering some more.

“I think it’s cute,” Wendy told him, and Lucas smiled really wide at her and thanked her.

“Speaking of,” Kyungsoo then said, turning his attention to her, “Why are you wendyandbright?”

“I was trying to think of a weather-related thing since my name sounds like ‘windy,’ but apparently I’m not very original since they were all taken. So I did it as a play on sunny and bright instead,” Wendy explained, looking a bit embarrassed by it.

“I love it,” Lucas told her. “And I think it really fits you because you are bright.”

“Agreed,” Jongdae said with an affirmative nod.

“It does fit you,” Kyungsoo let her know with a warm smile, and Wendy thanked them.

“Meanwhile,” Baekhyun said, looking toward Jisoo, “Ms. Jessica has the most complicated name in Insta history.”

“Jessica Kim was taken,” Jisoo waved off at him, not even bothering to look at him as she put more shrimp on her plate. “As were all relevant numerical variations of it. So I added my nickname to it.”

“Lucas,” Yixing then said from where he was sitting by Junmyeon, “Did you want the rest of this burrito?”

“Is that the one with carnitas? Yes, please,” Lucas said, stretching his hands out to take the plate.

Yixing chuckled at him as he handed it over, and then got up, “I have to leave for work, but congrats again, Soo.”

“Is it that time?” Kris said, “Maybe we should all go to work with you.”

“I’m down,” Lucas said, excited as he cut himself a big piece of the burrito to eat.

“It’s a school night, children,” Baekhyun pretended to admonish.

“I do have some new moves I’m planning on showing off,” Yixing told them with a smirk.

“I don’t have Friday classes so I’m down,” Jongdae said, and Wendy gave him a look.

“We told your mom we were just going to dinner,” she reminded him. “We have to bring her back food.”

“We can drop it off and then go,” Jongdae told her with a shrug.

“I don’t have Friday classes either,” Chanyeol offered.

“I have Friday classes, but I don’t care,” Jisoo chimed in, “I’m down if everyone else is.”

After more discussion, everyone except Logan, who had to go meet up with his girlfriend, Hailee, who had to be up early for a seminar, and Wendy pretty much landed on the same page of wanting to keep the celebration going and checking out Yixing’s new moves. Kyungsoo was excited because he was pretty sure that he could get a chance to dance with Chanyeol and hang out with him even more than last time.

Wendy did end up coming along anyway, and Kyungsoo was pretty sure it was because Lisa had decided to join them, mentioning how she had heard the club was fun from their first time going as a group and wanting to experience it herself.

Once again, they had no issues being let in with their fake IDs, and Kyungsoo walked in with a huge smile on his face as the music played and tons of shirtless men were dancing around to the DJ’s beats.

“Shit,” Kyungsoo said, looking at the group with a big smile on his face and maybe a little panicked. “I forgot Thursdays are crazy at this place.”

“They’re the best!” Lucas said, “It’s the gayest night of all the nights.”

“How is that possible?” Chanyeol asked, his eyes large and round as he looked at all the activity. “Last time was really gay.”

Kyungsoo started cracking up, especially when he noticed that Wendy’s mouth was wide open as two shirtless guys made out near her.

“Let’s dance,” Kris said, already moving to the music and jumping in with a large crew of guys all doing the same arm motion.

“This is beautiful,” Junmyeon said, nodding in approval at all the activity. “The self-expression in this place is creating a transcendent aura.”

“I agree,” Irene said with a smile, the kind she was used to giving him when he started talking about these things that she didn’t really care about. “Let’s go get drinks.”

“I can take pictures, right?” Lisa asked. “I want to take pictures.”

“Are we required to take our shirts off?” Jongdae asked. “Because I’m game.”

“Don’t embarrass yourself,” Jongin teased him, and Jongdae smacked his arm.

“Welp, Lucas did…” Baekhyun pointed out as Lucas, now shirtless, was surrounded by a group of guys who were hyping him up and dancing with him as they told him how hot he was.

“Yeeeeah,” Jongdae said, pretending to stretch, “I think I’ll not show you guys up today and just leave it on.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to be surrounded by shirtless guys calling you cute?” Wendy asked him with slight sarcasm, and Kyungsoo let out the loudest laugh.

Kyungsoo took the liberty of grabbing Chanyeol’s hand and leading him further into the dance floor, giving him a teasing smirk as he started to dance. He didn’t know if Chanyeol would get the hint and actually dance with him, or even feel comfortable enough to, but Kyungsoo danced anyway, raising the roof as he swished his hips from side to side.

When Chanyeol started dancing too, Kyungsoo gave him the biggest smile, which made Chanyeol give him the biggest smile back, and they probably looked really dumb smiling at each other like that while they danced, but Kyungsoo didn’t care. This right here was the best part of the celebration so far tonight and he didn’t want it to ever end.

He wondered how bold he could get before Chanyeol ended it, so Kyungsoo moved closer, thrusting his hips forward now, dangerously close to Chanyeol’s, and he bit his lip when Chanyeol bent his knees ever so slightly to match him then took the initiative to put his hand on Kyungsoo’s back, holding him in place, and sending jolts of excitement up Kyungsoo’s spine and out to every nerve ending possible.

They were doing this, and Kyungsoo was so turned on by it that he went ahead and put his hands on the sides of Chanyeol’s waist, letting his fingers curl around the fabric of his soft cotton shirt as he danced even closer to Chanyeol and looked up at him to make sure that he was doing alright with this.

Chanyeol was staring at him, looking about as turned on as Kyungsoo felt, and Kyungsoo wanted nothing more than to kiss him right then and there. But he knew this was dangerous. Chanyeol wasn’t ready to make him his yet and giving him anything before then would blur the lines. So Kyungsoo smoothly pulled away, smiling at him and then turning around to dance back into him instead. Chanyeol grabbed Kyungsoo’s hips and moved against him, and Kyungsoo immediately realized that this hadn’t been the best strategy to calm either of them down. So he laughed and pulled away again and jumped up and down to release some of the sexual frustration that had just built up within him.

“I’m thirsty,” Kyungsoo said after the DJ morphed the song into another one.

“Me too,” Chanyeol said, his face looking a bit flushed.

“Let’s go find the bar or wherever everyone went to,” Kyungsoo suggested, moving through the bodies on the dance floor on his quest for water and a moment to calm himself down.

He kept an eye out for any of their friends, the tables around the dance floor all at full capacity, including the one that was always reserved for “the divas,” the most famous group of drag queens in WeHo, who were currently laughing and catcalling as one of the dancers gave them their own private show at their table. Kyungsoo smiled to himself, wondering if Yixing had ever had the honor of entertaining them.

“There’s Dae,” Chanyeol pointed out, and Kyungsoo looked in the direction of the point to see that Jongdae stood, dancing to the music while holding a halfway empty 10-oz. martini glass. It seemed they had found a small table for four, which Wendy, Irene, Junmyeon, and Jisoo were sitting at, while Jongin leaned against the wall scrolling through his phone, and Jongdae danced in place beside him with his drink.

“Found you guys,” Kyungsoo said, when they reached them, thanking Jongdae when he handed him the martini glass so he could take a sip.

“Heads up that Rosé is on her way,” Jisoo informed them.

“Oh God,” Chanyeol said, taking a drink from the glass after Kyungsoo.

“She saw Lisa’s pics on Insta and texted us saying she was going to crash,” Jisoo explained. “Don’t worry, Jongin laid down the rules for her. No calling the paps, no naming the location, no tagging people in her pics, and to use the back entrance.”

“She’s actually really good about that,” Jongdae assured them. “She always asks me if it’s okay to post my pic before she does on her account.”

“The one thing she gets right,” Chanyeol said with a snort, and Kyungsoo chuckled.

“There’s Yixing,” Junmyeon said in excitement, standing up from his chair to try and see the stage better. Sure enough, the go-go boys had officially made their entrance, also shirtless and in their Speedos, joining in with the festivities.

Kyungsoo watched as Yixing danced, admiring the new moves that he had, but mostly admiring the huge smile on his face at the attention he was getting from the crowd in front of him. It was nice to see Yixing so happy, and Kyungsoo had the weirdest thought come to his mind.

Now that he was single, would it be the worst thing to hook up with him again while he waited for Chanyeol to come around? It wasn’t like they didn’t know the situation. Would it be weird? He kind of wanted to know what it would be like with this new and improved Yixing who was living his life and having fun, forging his own path, and truly finding himself.

“He’s such a good dancer,” Chanyeol remarked, and Kyungsoo looked up at him and smiled, watching the way he looked at Yixing in awe.

Kyungsoo couldn’t wait for Chanyeol to get there too. To be out and live his life while having fun, forging his own path, and truly finding himself as well. And getting to be by his side while he did it would just be the icing on the cake.

The moment Rosé showed up, the energy of the party shifted in a way that Kyungsoo had already expected, but in a good way. She gave him a big hug and told him she was excited for him and wanted a selfie that she promised to keep on her phone and not tag him on until he gave her the okay to get the free promotion. Kyungsoo had laughed and obliged her the photo, then had to admit to himself that he did miss her craziness a bit.

“You didn’t bring Shay?” Lisa asked, now sitting at the table while taking a break from dancing with Baekhyun and Lucas as she drank some water. They had managed to attach another table to theirs in the time it took for Rosé to show up, so Kyungsoo had also had a chance to sit and rest his feet.

“Ugh,” Rosé said, rolling her eyes dramatically. “She’s being impossible lately. I think we’re breaking up soon, but I’m going to let her figure that out.”

“Oh, sad,” Jongdae said pouting at her. “Why are you guys breaking up?”

“She’s just being annoying,” Rosé explained. “She’s starting to act more like a parent than a girlfriend, and that’s the last thing I need her to be.”

“The worst,” Kyungsoo agreed with a sympathetic shake of the head. Though he had no idea what that was like, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“You guys,” Baekhyun said, hurrying over to them while laughing. “I think I lost Lucas for good.”

“What?” they all collectively said.

“He got taken by three brawny guys,” Baekhyun explained, holding his stomach as he kept laughing. “I’ve never seen him look so excited.”

“Taken where?” Jongin asked horrified.

“I have no idea,” Baekhyun said, snickering to try and reign it in. “And I don’t think I want to know.”

“Someone save Lucas,” Lisa said, looking partially amused, partially concerned.

“Did we lose Kris too?” Jongdae then asked, looking toward the dance floor, which had gotten even more crowded somehow.

“No, he watched it all go down with me,” Baekhyun told them. “I left him on the floor to come run and tell you guys that we’ve lost Lucas.”

“You’re a mess,” Jongdae said, reaching over to shove Baekhyun’s shoulder.

Baekhyun laughed then went over to where Rosé was sitting to give her a big squeeze, “I’ve missed you, Roseanne.”

“You can’t call me that anymore, Bryan,” Rosé said, smiling as she squeezed him back. “I’ve legally changed my name to Rosé.”

“Seriously?” Baekhyun asked, “Congrats!”

“Two things to celebrate tonight!” Jongdae agreed, holding up his new martini in a cheer.

“I’ve missed you so much, DaeDae,” Rosé said, holding up her martini glass to his.

Kyungsoo looked over at Jongin to see that he seemed to be off in thought, and he knew that having Lisa, Jisoo, and Rosé there was probably making him think about how one person in particular was very much missing.

He got up from his chair and stood next to Jongin, interrupting his thoughts.

“Hey, wanna go out to the patio and get some fresh air?”

“Sure,” Jongin shrugged.

They excused themselves from the others and headed to the patio where they found an unoccupied end of a long wooden table that they could sit at to talk.

“You holding up alright?” Kyungsoo asked him, once they had sat, and he looked over to see a go-go boy doing some moves on the small stage set up outside.

“I’m holding up,” Jongin told him, running his hand through his hair and then dropping it onto his lap. “Are you having fun?”

“I am,” Kyungsoo said, and Jongin smiled at him, knowing that would be the answer. “It’s weird because I have so many memories of coming here with Yixing, and now I have these new memories of coming here with you guys, and it just weirdly feels like home to me.”

“Do you secretly dream of being a go-go boy?” Jongin asked with a laugh.

“Maybe I do,” Kyungsoo teased. “Xing makes it look fun.”

Jongin nodded, not saying anything for a moment, but then telling him, “It’s good to see him living his life and having a good time. I didn’t like the idea of him coming back into your life because of how he treated you and what he did to you, but he’s definitely changed for the better.”

“Told you,” Kyungsoo said, narrowing his eyes in petulance.

“I still don’t trust him completely,” Jongin made sure to explain, “But he’s been okay so far, so I’ll give you that much.”

Kyungsoo sighed. “I’ll take it,” he said, now thinking about Chanyeol, “I hope Chanyeol embraces it the way Yixing has. You know, when he finally comes out.”

“For your sake, I hope so too,” Jongin agreed, laughing as the go-go boy started doing his best Beyoncé impression and choreography when the DJ switched to one of her songs.

“You should be a go-go boy,” Kyungsoo then mused to Jongin, and Jongin snorted. Kyungsoo decided to bring up the Jennie thing, and he treaded carefully when he said, “I know you’re thinking a lot about her tonight. I mean, it’s impossible not to with her friends here.”

Jongin let out a defeated breath and nodded. “The last time we came, she was with us,” he reminisced, and Kyungsoo allowed a small pout to form on his face.

“It’s funny,” Kyungsoo then thought to say. “That last time, you were with her, and I was with Taeyong.”

“Yeah,” Jongin said as if he hadn’t realized that tidbit as well. “We got dumped and Jongdae proposed to his wife in the time between. What is wrong with us?”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said chuckling, and he was glad when Jongin smiled in commiseration. “I deserved mine, at least.”

“You did,” Jongin agreed, and Kyungsoo pouted again.

“So how do we get you to have a good time tonight?” Kyungsoo asked him. “I’m sure we can pay one of these go-go boys to give you a private dance.”

Jongin giggled at that, very much embarrassed by the idea. “I’m good. I am having fun. I can’t help the memories that come back throughout the night, but I’m enjoying watching everyone act crazy.”

“Good,” Kyungsoo said, reaching across the table to take his hand and give it a squeeze. “So how much of what you’re seeing tonight are you going to incorporate into the tour?”

Jongin laughed at the suggestion, and Kyungsoo was elated to see it was a genuine one. A few moments later, they were joined at the table by Kris, who Kyungsoo hadn’t seen since they had pretty much arrived.

“You’re alive,” Kyungsoo told him, noticing how flushed he looked and how sweaty his hair had gotten. “And you weren’t kidnapped along with Lucas.”

Kris snorted, and then looked between them for a moment, before looking straight at Kyungsoo and saying, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure?” Kyungsoo said, not sure what this was about, and suddenly wondering if it was going to be about Chanyeol. What if Kris wanted to know what the deal with them was or something?

“Would you be cool with me hooking up with your ex?” Kris then asked, and it took Kyungsoo a moment to process what he had said. “Asking for a friend.”

“You already said it was you,” Jongin pointed out, looking ready to laugh at any moment.

“I’m a friend to myself,” Kris joked, snorting again and then looking back at Kyungsoo.

“Yixing?” Kyungsoo asked, just wanting to make sure they were on the same page.

“Yeah,” Kris said, giving a firm nod. “He’s hot, and his moves are out of control. I’m imagining he’s really good in bed. Is this weird? Am I making you uncomfortable? I can walk away and pretend I never asked.”

“No, it’s…” Kyungsoo bit his lip, and looked to the side, unsure of what to say to this. It wasn’t like they were together or anything, and it would be nice for Yixing to have someone he could hook up with in his life that was a cool person. Also, that would mean that maybe Kris wouldn’t hook up with Chanyeol anymore. “Yeah. I mean, no, I don’t mind. If he’s cool with it, then I’m cool with it.”

Kris smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Thanks, Soo.” Kris got up from the table and then informed them that there was food inside. “Yixing hooked us up with free food, so the servers brought a bunch of stuff to the table.”

“Coming,” Jongin said, getting up quickly.

Kyungsoo got up as well, though he still felt full from all the Mexican food that Chanyeol had forced him to eat. But once he got back to their table, he helped himself to a snack.

“They brought us a charcuterie board, wings, and fried zucchini,” Jongdae pointed out to them while eating a wing.

“This is my favorite part of the night,” Wendy said, wrapping a slice of salami around some brie.

“Mine too,” Irene told her as she dipped a fried zucchini in the aioli it had come with. “Even though I’m still full from dinner.”

“So am I,” Kyungsoo said, which didn’t stop him from taking a fried zucchini to pop into his mouth.

“I found Lucas,” Baekhyun said, approaching the table as he pulled Lucas along by the hand.

“Hey, you’re alive!” Jongdae yelled out.

“Where did they take you?” Lisa asked him.

“To the chapel,” Lucas said, all bright-eyed. “To dance and get high. I’m so high right now, you guys.”

“Wait, really?” Rosé said, perking up. “Are they still over there?”

“Yeah, I’ll take you,” Lucas said, grabbing her hand as she stood up.

“I’ll come with,” Jongdae said, putting the bones down on his small plate and wiping his hands as he grabbed Lucas’s other outstretched hand.

“Don’t let them kidnap you again,” Baekhyun teased, reaching over Jisoo to grab a wing. “What are these? Buffalo?”

“Do they look like buffalo wings to you?” Jisoo asked him, elbowing him lightly.

“It’s dark in here,” Baekhyun whined, shoving her arm slightly in retaliation.

“Children, please,” Lisa teased them.

“When are we coming back here?” Junmyeon then asked them all. “I think Minseok should come with us next time.”

“Yes,” Chanyeol said, excited by this idea. “We should invite him next time.”

“Is he busy now?” Jisoo asked, picking up her phone from the table. “I can tell him to come meet us.”

“What time is it?” Chanyeol asked as he grabbed his phone to look at it as well.

“It’s only midnight,” Junmyeon said. “He could get down here for the last hour or so.”

“I’ll text him,” Jisoo said, and Chanyeol gave her a weird look.

“You just text him?” he asked her.

“He’s my personal trainer,” Jisoo said not looking up at him. “I text him all the time.”

“I should ask him to be my personal trainer,” Junmyeon said, looking shocked he hadn’t thought of this. “I need one.”

“I do too,” Irene agreed. “Maybe he could give us a couple’s discount.”

“Brilliant,” Junmyeon told her. “I’ll ask him when he gets here.”

Kyungsoo ate a couple more bites of the fried zucchini and then motioned for Chanyeol to follow him. Chanyeol looked curious, probably more so because Kyungsoo had a mischievous little smile on his face, and he followed him, straight into the red lounge with the gothic fireplace and the plush couches.

“I forgot this room existed,” Chanyeol said, rushing over to grab an empty spot on one of the couches against the wall.

Kyungsoo sat right beside him, letting out a relaxed breath as he let his head lean against the back of the couch.

“I have made out with both Yixing and Taeyong in this room,” Kyungsoo told him, and he looked over to see Chanyeol watching him with his eyebrows raised. “I can’t wait until we’re together so I can make out with you in here too.”

“We’re together now,” Chanyeol said, a soft smirk on his lips.

“Nice try,” Kyungsoo said, and he felt Chanyeol take his hand and hold it, which felt nice and warm.

“I think we should be able to make out even before we get together,” Chanyeol told him, and then confessed, “I think about making out with you all the time.”

Kyungsoo stared at his earnest brown eyes, wishing he could agree to it.

“I think about it all the time too,” Kyungsoo admitted, “But I want our relationship to start off right. It’s hard to explain, but I don’t want us to get lost in the gray areas and evolve into something that didn’t start off concrete.”

“I get it,” Chanyeol said, squeezing his hand and then letting it go. “One more month, and I’ll concretely ask you to be my boyfriend, and we’ll concretely be together.”

“I can’t wait,” Kyungsoo told him as his cheeks rose just a touch.

“But… I do miss our naps,” Chanyeol added. “Can we go back to doing those?”

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if that was the brightest idea, but he missed their naps too, so he nodded and said, “We can nap. As long as it doesn’t lead to anything else.”

Chanyeol’s features got all big and bright, and Kyungsoo had to laugh at him.

“Can we nap tonight?” Chanyeol asked him. “After we leave, can you come over and nap with me?”

“It’s not napping if I’m spending the night,” Kyungsoo said, giving him a poke for that crazy idea.

“Hey,” Chanyeol said, laughing and poking him back. “We probably won’t get home until three in the morning, and we’ll wake up probably around eight or nine, which totally counts as a nap. It’s less than eight hours, so it’s a nap.”

Kyungsoo chuckled at the logic and nodded. “Okay, I’ll go home with you, and we’ll nap.”

“Really?” Chanyeol said, looking like a kid who had just been told he’d get the toy that he wanted.

“Really,” Kyungsoo said, too amused by Chanyeol’s excitement.

“Let’s go home now,” Chanyeol then suggested, making Kyungsoo let out a throaty laugh and shove him lightly.

“Then we’ll go into the eight-hour range and it won’t be napping anymore,” Kyungsoo said, finding the energy to get up from the couch somehow. “Come on, let’s go dance some more.”

“But I like it in here,” Chanyeol whined.

“Nope,” Kyungsoo said, “In here is for later when we’re together. Let’s go.”

Chanyeol whined some more but did get up, and they headed back out toward the packed dance floor where an emcee was now onstage asking for the best dance moves from the patrons in order to win a pack of underwear.

Kyungsoo headed back to the tables instead while this happened and found that Jongdae, Rosé, and Lucas had returned.

“There you are,” Jisoo said when she saw Kyungsoo, “Lisa, take a picture of us.”

Lisa took Jisoo’s phone as Jisoo instructed the four Lambda boys to surround her so she could take a picture with them. Baekhyun put his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder as they leaned in toward Jisoo, and Kris gave a peace sign while Lucas pretended to flex, still shirtless, and completely out of his mind.

“What’s Evan going to think about you hanging out with the better Lambdas?” Baekhyun said to Jisoo.

“He’s going to think that he’s so happy that he went to UCLA so that he didn’t have to end up recruiting you morons,” Jisoo said, tapping on her phone.

“Mean,” Lucas said with a big pout.

“Not you,” Jisoo assured him, “I meant these two morons. Evan would’ve been happy to recruit you.”

“Yay!” Lucas said, jumping up and down.

“Evan has good taste,” Kris nodded.

“Evan does not,” Baekhyun stated, “We don’t ever say good things about Evan. Especially not in front of her.”

Kyungsoo laughed at this, and then looked over at Chanyeol when he asked, “Is Minseok coming?”

“No, he can’t,” Jisoo told him. “He’s been up all night doing research for his thesis, but he said to give him a heads-up next time.”

They got another round of drinks in before last call and danced until it was time for the club to shut down. Kyungsoo was exhausted by the time they went outside to wait for their rides, and as he stood by Chanyeol, he smiled, thinking about how they’d be at his place soon and Kyungsoo would be passed out in his arms.

“I have got to take a picture with you!” a very drunk man said, stumbling out of the club as he pointed to Rosé.

Rosé laughed and motioned him over, posing with him as the guy gave the funniest drunken expression of surprise. His friend took the picture and then asked if he could have one too.

“You are stunning,” the first drunk guy said. “In every way. I would seriously go straight for you.”

“He loves you,” his friend said to Rosé. “He keeps saying you should get your own reality show so he can watch you every day.”

“I’m working on it,” Rosé said with a wink, and the guy almost had a heart attack right then and there.

“That’s going to be you soon,” Chanyeol mentioned to Kyungsoo, and when Kyungsoo looked at him with a questioning look, Chanyeol elaborated. “Fans coming up to you to ask for pictures and stuff.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, an embarrassed smile spreading on his face, and he shook his head, “No. Once I become recognizable, I’m never leaving the house.”

“That’s not how that works,” Chanyeol told him, and Kyungsoo just shook his head again.

Jongin and Lisa’s ride arrived first, so Kyungsoo exchanged hugs with the both of them and thanked them for celebrating with him.

He did the same for everyone as their cars came, and when Baekhyun asked him if he was coming, Kyungsoo shook his head.

“I’m staying with Chanyeol tonight,” Kyungsoo said, hoping Baekhyun didn’t make any snide comments about it.

Baekhyun blinked, paused, and then gave a nod and said, “Alright, see you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” Kyungsoo said, waving at him as the car Chanyeol had ordered came next.

They got in, and just as he had managed to secure his seatbelt, Kyungsoo noticed that Yixing had come out of the club, fully dressed, and with a big smile as he greeted Kris who had hung back to wait for him. Kyungsoo had to smile in amusement to himself about it, and he hoped that they both got what they wanted out of it.

As for Kyungsoo himself, he got exactly what he wanted, once he was at Chanyeol’s place and had kicked his sneakers off, pulled off his shirt, and landed comfortably right onto Chanyeol’s bed. Chanyeol joined him after turning off all the lights, and Kyungsoo cuddled right into his arms as he passed out completely.


	28. Chapter 28

Jongin felt that the rehearsals for the tour should have been getting easier, but instead, they were getting more difficult as he tried to make sure that the choreo was being executed as perfectly as possible. It was one thing to learn the moves, but it was another thing for them to be as second nature as breathing so that the performance of it could be perfected. Jongin barely felt he had it down, and he had been the one to create them. Based upon this rehearsal, he wasn’t the only one struggling.

He made a time-out signal with his hands and walked over to the stereo system to stop the music, trying to think through what the issue was and how best to get the rest of the dancers and Summer, herself, on the right page.

Instead of addressing them, he looked over at Taemin, who was finally back in town after a crazy schedule in Korea, and who was sitting in to watch and help Jongin out a bit.

“What am I missing here?” Jongin asked, hands on his hips as he looked down at Taemin, who sat against the mirror to best view everyone’s moves.

“You’re not missing anything,” Taemin said, pushing himself up to do part of the dance. “You choreographed this part to match the rhythm, and it works, but it’s causing you to think too much. Maybe let a beat pass between this move,” he said, executing one of the moves, “and this one.” He completed the move and then explained, “Let that space between be part of the dance.”

Jongin nodded and walked back over to address the group. “Let’s try something different,” he said, showing them the new move, and then he did it with Taemin so they could see them both do it at the same time. “It’ll give you a chance to catch your breath,” he then pointed out to Summer, who nodded and got into position to try it.

It didn’t solve the overall issue, but Jongin did like the effect it created, and everyone did seem to pick up from the break in a stronger way that made more of an impact. More importantly, Summer approved of it, and Jongin let out a breath of relief that helped him work on making sure he, himself, was executing it right.

They worked through the night since rehearsals would be put on hold while Summer headed to Austin for the week to do a showcase and other promo events at SXSW, and by the time they were done, it was just past midnight and Jongin felt exhausted enough to pass out in the studio for the night.

“Please tell me you know where to get a good hot dog at this time of night,” Summer said to him, re-doing her hair up into a ponytail. “I’m starving, and I’m allowing myself to eat a hot dog, maybe two, because there’s no way I can gain back the calories I lost today anyway.”

Jongin chuckled at this, feeling pretty much the same way. “I happen to know a pretty decent hot dog truck that hangs out in K-town waiting for the clubs to get out at 2. I’ll drive.”

They had done this before, hanging out after rehearsal, and it always gave Jongin a nice chance to get into Summer’s head with how she felt about how things were going with the tour. It also gave her a nice chance to check up on him, something she had been doing a lot since his and Jennie’s breakup. Because naturally, the gossip sites had assumed that despite his great social media post speaking to the contrary, he had in fact been cheating on Jennie with Summer, and Summer had felt a little guilty about it, even though he had assured her that she had nothing to feel guilty for.

“I wish you were coming to Austin with me,” she said, eyes closed as he drove, probably trying to fit in a small nap before she had to be up early in the morning.

“Last I checked,” Jongin said, adjusting the air in the car while driving, “people don’t really use dancers for acoustic sets.”

“Only one showcase is an acoustic set,” she pointed out, smiling at his teasing. “The larger one for the fans will have me looking awkward without any choreography to go along with my performance.”

“You don’t need choreography,” he assured her. “Your presence lights up the stage by itself.”

“How much are we paying you to compliment me like this?”

“Not enough,” he lamented, and they both laughed at their mutual joke.

They drove in silence for a little bit, Summer seeming to take that nap that she needed, and Jongin putting the music on the radio up some more to keep him company. When they got to K-town, he struggled to find street parking and ended up having to park two blocks away from where the food truck was actually located.

The line wasn’t too bad since it wasn’t 2 a.m. yet, and Jongin stood in it while Summer went to look over the menu. Unfortunately for her, that meant that she was noticed, as she always was whether she wanted to be or not, and she accommodated some pictures with a smile like she wasn’t exhausted from almost sixteen hours of dancing straight.

When it was their turn to order, they ordered two hot dogs each, though Jongin did make fun of one of hers being the standard New York dog with just sauerkraut and mustard on it.

“You’re not as hungry as you said you were,” he teased her while they walked to the small seating area that had been set up with some picnic tables and string lights hung around for illumination. They sat across from each other at the edge of one, and Jongin took the biggest bite of a hot dog he had ever taken.

“What’s on that one?” Summer asked him, chewing through the big bite she had taken as well.

“The Seoul Dog,” he said, showing it to her. “Wanna try it? It has kimchi on it though. Have you ever had kimchi?”

“I don’t think so,” she said. “Let me try a little piece.”

He had grabbed a plastic fork and knife, just in case, and used the knife to cut off a piece for her so she could try it. He watched her face as it went from confused to surprised, and then she made a noise and fanned her mouth.

“It’s a little spicy,” he told her.

“It’s a lot spicy,” she said, reaching for her water bottle.

“I guess I’m used to it,” he told her, watching her amused. “You won’t want to try this one then,” he said pointing to his Tokyo Dog. “The wasabi might kill you.”

“I want to try it,” she said, and Jongin laughed, knowing Summer liked being challenged. He cut a piece for her, and she prepared herself with the water bottle ready to go as soon as she took the bite.

“Which did you like better?” he asked her once she was done drinking water and coughing.

“The first one,” she said, and Jongin looked at her proudly. “The flavor is good. I just wish it wasn’t so spicy.”

“We’re going to have to get you used to heat,” he told her, finishing it off so he could start on his second one.

“Here, let me give you some of this one in return,” she said, cutting off a part of her second hot dog, which had barbecue sauce and ranch on it.

He accepted it and tried it, liking the combination of flavors.

“So are you excited to get some of your life back while I’m gone?” she asked him before taking the last bite of her first hot dog.

“No,” he told her honestly. “It’s been a great distraction. Real life is overrated.”

“Sure,” she said, giving him a knowing smirk. “Like you don’t probably have a ton of plans set up already with Kyungsoo and Jongdae.”

Jongin smiled as he ate and then said, “Nothing exciting. Mostly watching basketball games because of Chanyeol.”

“Oh, right,” she nodded, grabbing her napkin as barbecue and ranch got all over her mouth. “March Madness. Did you guys do brackets?”

“Kyungsoo made us all do one,” Jongin confirmed, “I picked Kentucky to win, and he got mad at me.”

Summer laughed and then remarked, “Kentucky is the favorite to win. At least that’s what my dad said.”

“That’s why I picked them,” Jongin defended as if Kyungsoo was there and he had to let him know all over again his rationale. “I’m trying to win the money.”

“Did Jongdae pick them to win or did he pick USC out of loyalty?”

“He picked USC while whining about how he was going to lose,” Jongin snickered, smiling at the people who came to sit at the other side of their table.

They were approached by two girls who appeared to be in their teens and looked giddy enough for Jongin to know Summer was in for more picture posing.

“Hi,” the shorter of the two said. “Sorry to bother you while eating, but we’re huge fans. Can we take a picture with you?”

Summer smiled wide at him, and it took a moment for Jongin to realize they were talking to him.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he said, wiping his hands on a napkin and asking Summer if he had anything on his mouth.

“You’re good,” she said, giving him a thumbs up and then getting up as she motioned for the girl to hand her phone over so she could take the picture.

“We’re going to your tour,” the taller girl sweetly told Summer once they were done taking pictures.

“You better be,” she said with a grin. “How else would you see Kai kill it on stage?”

“We’re so excited,” the shorter girl said, looking at Jongin as she said it, and Jongin gave her a big smile back.

“I’m excited too,” he said, “We literally just got out of rehearsal for it and were starving. I hope you guys enjoy all the hard work we’re putting into it.”

“We will,” they both said, and Jongin thanked them.

“Could you guys wait until after we leave to post those?” Summer then thought to ask.

“Yeah, of course,” the shorter girl said, and they said good-bye to them as they headed back to wherever they had come from.

“Good thinking,” Jongin said as they sat back down.

“I told the people earlier that too,” Summer said, picking up her hot dog. “We should probably finish up. I never trust them to not actually say something.”

She made a good point, and Jongin finished up his food, taking their trash for them to the bin before walking back up the sidewalk past the streets lined with parked cars and apartment building after apartment building, the older brick ones from the 20s interspersed between larger modern ones.

“Do you and your friends hang out a lot down here?” she asked him as they waited for cars to pass before crossing the street.

“I wouldn’t say a lot,” Jongin told her. “We only really get to hang out together on the weekends when we’re back home in the OC. Sometimes though, someone will want to get good K-BBQ or do _noraebang_ and we’ll come here.”

“I want to do _noraebang_ with you guys next time,” Summer said, looking excited by it.

“You’re always trying to hang out with us,” he said, chuckling at her. “Don’t you have your own friends to _noraebang_ with?”

“They don’t know what that is,” she said with her own chuckle. “And I like hanging out with your friends. Especially Lisa. You should bring her around more.”

“I’ve invited her to rehearsal,” he assured her, “But she’s been busy working. She booked this dance movie as an extra, but the directors like her so much that they keep bringing her back for some close-ups and features.”

“Good,” Summer said, “She’s so great. I want her dancing in my next video.”

“I think we can arrange that,” he said with a big smile as he opened the passenger door for her.

She slid in and he closed the door then headed to his side, putting on his seatbelt then reaching to press the “Start” button, but Summer caught his hand before he did, and he looked at her.

“I’m serious. I’ve been thinking a lot about my next video. Did I tell you that the company wants ‘Secrets’ to be the next single?”

“No,” he said, thinking about the choreography he had created for that one. “That’s a good one though,” he then remarked, thinking the choreo would translate well in the video.

“I agreed with them,” she nodded and then gave him a look that Jongin hadn’t quite seen her give him before. “I think tonight has given me the perfect inspiration for the video.”

“So it’s going to be about how you spend all day and night practicing choreo?” he teased, trying to diffuse the sudden shift in atmosphere, sensing now what that look she was giving him could be.

She didn’t change her expression, and Jongin knew what was coming as she shifted just enough to lean into him, pressing her lips to his. He supposed he should have predicted this with as much time as they had been spending together and the fact that, outside of her manager, stylist, and personal assistant, he was the person she spent the most time with. But still…

He pulled away without returning the kiss, giving her a look that let her know he needed a second to process this.

Summer didn’t move and just looked at him, still in much the same way, then said, “Please come to Austin with me.”

“Professional lines shouldn’t really be crossed,” he told her instead, more to buy himself time, and less because he believed that to be completely true. Obviously, people were attracted to people when they worked with them a lot. Workplace romances were a thing for a reason, and especially in the dance world where those lines were constantly being blurred. No matter how many times he and Lisa insisted that they were just good friends, most everyone at the dance studio were convinced they were together, or at least sleeping with each other.

She did pull away then, looking at him a little uncertain and saying, “I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”

“No, I’m…” Jongin let out a soft sigh and looked at her, trying to think through this. “You’re my boss…”

“I’m so sorry,” she said before he could finish. “I didn’t mean for it to be… I just… you have to know you’re my muse.”

“No, I do,” Jongin assured her, wanting her to understand as well, but she kept apologizing.

“Shit, is this a sexual harassment thing?” she then said, her eyes widening, and he chuckled at her, which calmed her down enough to lose the panic that had suddenly overcome her face.

“It’s not,” he told her, “You’re not… I just… we’ve always been professional with each other, so I’m a little thrown off here,” he explained and then hurried to add, “You know I just got dumped, and I haven’t really recovered from that, even though I’m trying.”

“If you had been single, I would’ve tried kissing you earlier,” Summer told him, and Jongin bit his lip and looked at her, knowing she was telling the truth.

“You weren’t even legal then,” he reminded her, more to tease her and to give him more time to think through all this.

“Oh please,” she said, giving him a look to not even play that card, knowing he’d only been two years older than her and a teenager himself, “But anyway, I’m legal now. And I’m lonely, and I know you just got out of a relationship, which is why I’m taking this chance now. I don’t want you to be my boyfriend. I mean, sure, in a world where we were normal teens going to high school together and dreaming about college, I would definitely want you to be my boyfriend, but you’re my inspiration, and I want to keep being inspired by you, and experiencing things with you, and pretending. Tonight, I got to pretend that we were on a cute hot dog date, and it meant everything to me.”

He blinked at her, knowing all too well how she felt, only because he had been in this position before of having to provide the emotional support that the other person craved. And it got him every time. He couldn’t help it that he liked being that person, that he felt he had a natural instinct for comforting people and caring for them in ways they lacked and needed.

So he reached his hand out to caress her jaw ever so lightly, and then down to her neck. He could feel the slight shiver under his touch, a clear sign that she needed this in ways her body wouldn’t hide. He leaned in to kiss her back, and he let it linger as she kissed him back as well.

When he pulled away, he kept looking at her, letting his fingers play with the little hairs that had come loose from her ponytail.

“I like being your muse,” he told her, and her face warmed with a smile of satisfaction.

“Come to Austin,” she reiterated.

“How?” he asked, “You leave in the morning. I’m not even packed.”

“It’s a private jet,” she informed him. “It leaves in five hours. Plenty of time for you to go home and pack a bag.”

“This is crazy,” he said, snorting softly at it all.

And she leaned in to give him another kiss, one that he didn’t stop. He let it go on for as long as she wanted, realizing that he had been missing a bit of this as well. The emotional loss of Jennie hurt the most, but the physical loss also left an ache that he certainly didn’t mind healing in this way.

***

Jongin had just stepped out of the shower when he heard the knock on the hotel room door and the muffled voice say “Room Service” through it. He slipped on the white bathrobe hanging from one of the hooks and hurried over to the door to open it, thanking the staff who rolled in the cart and placed the items on the table before asking him if he needed anything else.

He told them he was fine and thanked them again, then closed the door and headed back to the table, smiling as he lifted the note that had been left in the middle.

_Busy morning. Enjoy breakfast without me. See you after._

Jongin smiled and sat at the table, spearing a strawberry as he thought about how crazy of a day yesterday had been. Not only had he gotten on his first ever private jet, but he found himself in Austin for an afternoon of getting checked-in and eating room service because too many fans had already realized which hotel Summer would be staying in.

They had managed to sneak out in the evening though, walking around downtown Austin and listening to the different live music sounds that came from passing club after club on Sixth Street. Ironically, neither of them was old enough to go inside any of them, but it didn’t matter. Street performers entertained them just as well, and a couple of mini outdoor stages had been set up for bands to try and capture the attention of industry people who were in town for the SXSW conference and festival.

They had to get back to the hotel in good time though, mostly because Summer had to be up super early this morning for a non-stop whirlwind of press and promotion. The good news was that she’d have the rest of the afternoon and evening off to relax before she had to do it all over again tomorrow while also preparing for her industry showcase.

He started in on his plate of eggs and bacon when his phone lit up with a text message from his sister.

_Jonghee: Why am I staring at paparazzi photos of Summer in Austin with you in them?_

Jongin groaned to himself, knowing this wasn’t going to go well.

_Jongin: Oh yeah, about that. I’m in Austin._

_Jonghee: Yes, that’s been established. Why are you in Austin?_

_Jongin: Summer’s nervous about losing practice time so she brought me along so we can keep working through the choreo while she’s here._

It was the story they had come up with in case anyone wondered why he was there when he wouldn’t be part of the showcase or festival performance she’d be giving. They even planned to leverage it by actually putting in some practice time in a rented conference room in the hotel and filming her practicing to use for a documentary of her first tour that’d be part of her promotion.

_Jonghee: Why weren’t we given a heads up about this?_

_Jongin: It was a last-minute request. She wasn’t feeling confident about the choreo after the last rehearsal, so she asked me that morning, and I literally had a few hours to throw together a bag and get to the airport._

_Jonghee: Was this after the hot dogs that same night?_

Shit. Of course she would have seen the fan accounts of that.

_Jongin: Yeah, that’s when she told me she was nervous about it._

_Jonghee: Why didn’t you let us know then?_

_Jongin: Because I was tired and out of it and just going with the flow. Can we stop the interrogation now?_

_Jonghee: There wouldn’t need to be an interrogation if you just told us there was a change in plans._

_Jongin: Sorry. It all happened so fast. And I didn’t think it’d be a big deal since I didn’t have much planned outside of that photoshoot this week, which I’ll be back for._

_Jonghee: Nice of you to think that, but I was about to schedule an audition for you for tomorrow. Good thing I saw this before I did._

_Jongin: An audition for what?_

_Jonghee: A dance movie that’s interested in you as one of the lead roles._

_Jongin: Really? Can we re-schedule for when I’m back in town?_

_Jonghee: Yes, but only if you promise to not pull a stunt like this again._

_Jongin: I wasn’t pulling a stunt. I’ll let you know when my plans change again._

_Jonghee: Literally all I ask for. Have fun in Austin._

_Jongin: I will. Miss you love you bye._

_Jonghee: Miss you love you too, you brat._

Jongin sighed a breath of relief, grateful that the conversation didn’t go as badly as he thought it might. He finished eating his breakfast and took a picture of the view from their king suite of the hotel, the sun shining bright in Austin to give him a postcard-perfect shot of downtown.

Then he got dressed and watched TV while waiting for Summer to return and realized that he probably should let his friends know he wouldn’t be coming over to watch the game.

_Jongin: Hey, guys, I’m in Austin. Summer needed me to come with her to SXSW so I’ll be cheering for Kentucky in spirit._

_Kyungsoo: You’re a traitor on every level. We didn’t want you here anyway._

_Jongdae: Yeah, just stay in Austin with your hater energy._

_Jongin: LOL. Go … what are they called anyway?_

_Jongdae: You don’t even know. A disgrace to us and them!_

_Kyungsoo: Loser._

Jongin snickered and Googled what the Kentucky mascot was.

_Jongin: Go Wildcats!_

_Kyungsoo removed you._

Jongin cracked up and sent them both text messages instead telling them “Go Wildcats!” again.

He then was interrupted from continuing to bother them by a message from Rosé.

_Rosé: Are you finally banging Summer Kyle?_

Jongin groaned, knowing that the rumors were inevitable now.

_Jongin: No. Don’t you have your own rumors to keep you occupied?_

_Rosé: Boo. I want you guys to hook up. She’s gorgeous and the current pop “it” girl and you deserve that._

_Jongin: There’s the perfect pop “it” boy out there for her._

_Rosé: There’s no one worthy at the moment. Shawn Mendes is taken, and Bieber’s married._

_Jongin: She’ll just have to wait for Baekhyun to get his record deal then._

_Rosé: No he’s doing rock. She’s not the type to fall for the bad boy. That would go against her image._

_Jongin: You are ridiculous._

_Rosé: That’s my Game of Thrones name. Rosie the Ridiculous. Anyway, you guys look good together, so you guys should hook up while you’re there._

_Jongin: Bye now!_

_Rosé: <3_

Jongin shook his head and decided to look through Twitter to see what his mentions did look like.

_Summer and Kai spotted on date last night in Austin_

_Summer and Kai official couple alert_

_Summer and Kai: Finally public with relationship_

_We’ve been waiting for this! Exclusive pics of Summer and Kai’s first public date._

_Jennie heartbroken as Summer and Kai confirm rumors_

He closed out of Twitter and sighed, resting his head against the sofa and letting the white noise from the television block out so many of his thoughts. He knew that Summer’s team would squash this, especially once they explained he was there for a reason, but he also knew that people wanted it to be true so badly that they’d keep perpetuating it regardless of what statements were made.

It was fine though. It’d be better if Jennie thought he had moved on too.

When Summer got back to the suite, it was in a whirlwind of activity as her team followed her, talking about how great things went. She came over to him and plopped down on the couch beside him, stretching her arms out as she let out a big sigh of relief.

“It went that well, huh?” he said with a smile, watching her.

“I love interviews,” Summer said, scrunching her nose, “I do.”

“It was a lot at once,” her manager agreed, having followed her to talk. “The bright side is that you’re done for the day and free to do what you want.”

She gave a little fist pump, her eyes still closed as she relaxed, and Jongin chuckled at it.

“In other news,” her manager then said, “There are a lot of rumors out right now about you two.”

“I know,” Summer said without missing a beat, “Give them the choreography story.”

“We will,” her manager said, “But I know you guys plan on hanging out today. You need to be careful. And you need to take a bodyguard with you.”

“That’ll just draw attention,” Summer said, opening her eyes to look at him with a plea. “If you can get us out of here undetected, then I promise no one will see us.”

“Everyone saw you guys last night,” he reminded her.

“We’re going someplace not in the city,” she said, her smile brightening.

“And you’re taking a bodyguard with you,” the manager said, his tone final.

“Fine, dad,” Summer said, getting up from the couch, “I’m going to go change.”

Her manager sighed then looked at Jongin for a moment before taking the seat next to him on the couch that Summer had just vacated.

“No one on the team is buying the choreo story, just so you know,” the manager told him.

“I didn’t think you guys would,” Jongin let him know. “But you’re not the ones that need to buy it.”

“True,” he nodded, “But even so, whatever it is you guys are doing, it has to stay as low-key as possible.”

“We’re not doing anything,” Jongin said, deciding to make that his mantra regardless of all they were doing or would end up doing. “She wanted me to come along. I was available. We’re just friends hanging out.”

“Right, because this couch looks like you slept on it last night,” the manager snorted. “You guys better be using all the protection available,” he then warned him before getting up to talk with the team about other matters.

Jongin sighed, wondering why he was putting himself in this situation yet again. It made him realize that no matter what, the next person he did actually decide to date needed to be someone that wasn’t famous, or trying to be, and had no strings attached or overbearing parents or managers who side-eyed him every five seconds as a possible threat to their precious investments.

He joined Summer in the bedroom and asked her, “So where exactly are we going?” as he watched her wash her face clean from her makeup.

The way she smiled made him smile even more and she replied, “We’re going on a road trip. And you need to bring your bathing suit.”

“That one that you suspiciously reminded me to bring along?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow then heading to his bag to pull his swim trunks out.

“I may have had a plan,” she said, coyly, dabbing her face with a face towel. “It was originally a plan for just me, but now it’s me and you. And a bodyguard.”

“The bodyguard’s a good idea and you know it. You know people are just looking out for you.”

“I know, I know,” she sing-songed, and then came out of the bathroom to rummage through her own luggage. “It’s fine. I’m not upset about the bodyguard. I just get tired of being told what to do or how to do things all day, so I wanted this afternoon to have as little of that as possible.”

“Once we leave the hotel, you’ll get your wish,” Jongin assured her, and he wanted to say he’d get his as well since his wish was the same as hers at the moment.

Her manager did manage to get them out of the hotel undetected, through the delivery entrance where the bodyguard was waiting in a rented car for them. It took them about 45 minutes to reach their destination, Summer not spoiling it for him and telling him it was a surprise. When they reached it, however, he was grateful for not being spoiled because somehow it made the place seem even better and more magical than it would have been otherwise.

Growing up in Southern California, swimming holes were not something he knew anything about, but suddenly, this idea of swimming in a completely natural pool made from nature itself was so exciting to Jongin that he wasted no time in jumping in.

“Shit, it’s cold!” he yelped, burrowing into himself as he held himself in the water to try and get his body temperature acclimated to it better.

“I should have warned you,” Summer said, jumping in right after him and screaming at how cold it was.

It was beautiful and the perfect calm respite from sudden plane trips and the energy of a downtown bustling with its biggest event of the year. The blue-green water was clear and completely canopied by large cypress trees that scattered the sun rays around them and rustled in the cool spring wind.

They swam and floated on their backs, and then followed the flow of the water until they reached a dam area that created a short waterfall leading to another pool where people swam. They swam right up to it, pulling themselves up to peek over it to see how far the drop was.

“I’m good up here,” Jongin said, turning back around to lean against the dam instead.

“Me too,” Summer agreed, doing the same and kicking her feet in the water in front of her.

Jongin then thought about how much fun Kyungsoo and Jongdae would have at a place like this too, and he grinned to himself and said, “Jongdae would have gone down this waterfall.”

Summer laughed and said, “I can see that about him. How is he still alive?”

“I don’t know,” Jongin said, often wondering that himself. “He might not be after we take him skydiving on his twenty-first birthday.”

“I secretly want to do that too,” she said. “Maybe after he does it and survives, I’ll do it.”

“Good luck,” Jongin told her. “It was nice knowing the both of you.”

They took some time to sit on the rocks to the side of the dam, to get out of the water a bit and rest. Summer looked picture-perfect in her bikini, and he wished they had managed to somehow bring a phone with them so he could take a great picture of her that he knew she’d love and want to post on her Instagram.

They did get around to taking pictures, once they had swum back up to the shady party where they had started and grabbed their phones to document their alone time. It was a weird concept, having time away from everything that surrounded them, yet still wanting to document that it happened. Jongin often needed the reminder that he still could have normal moments with people, and his pictures would never see the light of day outside of the times he decided to scroll through his phone’s photo library.

And then they played in the water a bit more, knowing the sun’s descent was accelerating with each fun moment they either splashed each other or tried to chase either from tree trunk to tree trunk along the banks of the swimming hole. Summer had managed to corner him up against a rather large cypress trunk and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, kissing him in a way that made Jongin smile as he wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her up against him with the water doing all the work.

In this moment, Jongin felt every bit like who she wanted him to be—a high school boyfriend, spending a spring day with his high school girlfriend, swimming and making out far from their parents’ eyes. The simplicity of it was as refreshing as the water they were in, and it lasted much longer than the bodyguard had hoped since he had to eventually walk the trail along the bank to find them and let them know the park would be closing soon.

They took a selfie together using the bodyguard’s phone before swimming over to the nearest ladder to pull themselves out. It took them no time at all to dry off and change into their clothes in the bathroom, and then they stopped at a barbecue restaurant in the small town where the swimming hole was located, starving and parched from too much fun in the water and sun.

It wasn’t too crowded, and they were lucky that no one seemed to know who either of them was nor care if they did. They were also lucky that they had the bodyguard with them since he helped them finish off all the brisket and pulled pork they had ordered.

“I can’t eat another thing,” Summer said as she ate another fried pickle, “Except for these. I want to marry these.”

“If you eat another one, you’re going to turn into a fried pickle,” the bodyguard teased her, and Jongin laughed in agreement.

“It’s my dream to be a fried pickle,” she played along.

“That’s your next song,” Jongin pointed out.

“I’m going to write it tonight,” she said, popping the last fried pickle into her mouth.

They were exhausted by the time they snuck back into the hotel, but it was the good kind of exhaustion that was all physical and not mental at all. After a playful shower together, they tumbled into bed to play some more, and per her manager’s instructions, made sure to use all the protection they had available.


	29. Chapter 29

Kyungsoo stared at his parents annoyed, wondering why they couldn’t ever just go along with his great ideas.

“But what’s the point?” he whined, not caring that they were in the middle of H-mart during the crowded afternoon grocery shopping rush and probably looking ridiculous whining to his parents.

His father threw in two packages of his favorite strawberry-flavored candy, which made his mother raise her eyebrow at him.

“I saw that, put one back,” she told him.

“But what’s the point?” his father whined, and his mother looked done with both of them as she pushed the cart down the aisle.

They had gone on a family grocery store excursion, mostly because Kyungsoo wanted to stock up on some good snacks for the viewing party he was holding for the game tonight. USC was up against Fordham tonight, and it was going to be the toughest game yet for Chanyeol, but Kyungsoo knew he and the rest of the team could do it even though Fordham was favored to win with 8-1 odds. Whatever that meant. Kyungsoo just knew that it probably meant that this was going to be a tough game, and he was going to need all his favorite snacks to stress eat through the 40 minutes of game time, not including time outs and breaks for commercials.

He approached the subject again once they were in the car headed back home.

“Seriously though,” Kyungsoo said from the backseat, interrupting his mom’s singing along to some Korean ballad she loved. “The movie’s going to be on Netflix. It’s already been greenlit. Not to mention, I’m shooting the spy TV show in a couple of weeks. There’s literally no point in me going back to school next year. I’ve officially filed the paperwork to join the union, so I even get health benefits. This is officially my career now.” He thought maybe saying ‘officially’ twice would help his cause.

“You’re too young to know this now,” his father said, peeking at him through the rearview mirror, “But two years goes by quickly. You’ll be done with college before you even know it, and once you are, you’ll wish you could go back.”

“It doesn’t make sense to quit with only two years left,” his mother agreed. “Isn’t your big brother in the fraternity still in school while working?”

Damn it, why’d he share so much about Logan to his parents?

“Yeah, but we’re different,” he tried, already knowing they had him.

“Yes, you are,” his father pointed out. “He’s very well-connected in the industry with an A-list agent, and he’s also white, which means he has opportunities for more roles. You’re not as well-connected, you have a B-list agent, and you’re not white, so you have less opportunities. If he’s staying in school, then you damn well better to even compete in the real world against people like him.”

“Exactly what your father said,” his mother agreed. “Why, when you have the opportunity to play at their level, would you give yourself barriers? Your father and I have worked hard to remove as many obstacles for you and your brother as possible. Why would you want to slap us in the face like this?”

“Oh my God,” Kyungsoo said, hating how this tactic worked every time because he never knew how to fight against it. “Forget I asked. It’s not that serious. I just hate school, okay? You guys know this.”

“I hate work, but I go every day,” his father lamented.

“So do I,” his mother agreed. “How I would love to spend every day watching TV instead and traveling around the world, but I have to work in order to make sure my family has a good life.”

“The mistake we made was in having two sons,” his father then said, and Kyungsoo groaned, knowing they were going into what they thought was an amusing lament to pretty much make fun of him for even thinking they’d be okay with him quitting college.

“We did so well with the first one,” his mother agreed, “What were we thinking? We got too greedy. This is God’s punishment for our greed.”

“Please forgive us, Lord,” his father said as if praying, and Kyungsoo hit the button for his window to slide down so that the sound of the wind could block them out.

It made his parents laugh, and his mother turned up the volume so she could belt along loudly to another ballad.

After that disappointing conversation and car ride, Kyungsoo focused on making his snacks instead. He was happy when Jongdae finally came over, giving him a distraction from how annoyed he was.

“Oh oh,” Jongdae said, noticing his mood once he had joined him in the kitchen. “I take it you’re not quitting college anytime soon?”

“No,” Kyungsoo moped, flipping the pajeon he was making in the skillet.

“Well I’m happy to hear it,” Jongdae told him with a big smile. “I didn’t need you and Baek both abandoning me.”

“I hate school so much,” Kyungsoo whined. “What have I really learned this year?”

“Please, you’ve loved your theater classes,” Jongdae told him, which was true. Kyungsoo had been enjoying those. “And you’re almost done with your Gen Eds, right? Just a couple more and you’ll just be taking classes for your major to ride out the last year and a half.”

“I get it,” Kyungsoo said, letting him know he didn’t need to be talked through this again.

“And whatever, at least you have a career ready to go once you graduate,” Jongdae continued on, grabbing a mochi rice cake from the box Kyungsoo had bought at the store. “I’m going to be stuck having to try and find one and hope one of my dream companies hires me. And if not, I’m going to have to take whatever I can get since I have a family to feed.”

“I don’t think your family is going to starve if you don’t get a job right out of college,” Kyungsoo told him, taking the pancake out of the pan and pouring in another batch of the batter. “Either way, more frat parties is fine. I guess I should enjoy those while I still have them for the next couple of years.”

“That’s the spirit,” Jongdae told him, his eyes turning into slivers in amusement as he ate his rice cake. “Plus, another year of Chanyeol and you having a class together? Right?” He was nudging him now playfully, and Kyungsoo cracked into a full smile.

“Yeah, that too, I guess,” Kyungsoo said, hating how his face betrayed him so readily on that point.

“Also,” Jongdae pointed out with his mouth full, “Junmyeon finished college, and you don’t want him to show you up on that too, right?”

“That’s actually the best point you’ve made,” Kyungsoo pointed out to him, and Jongdae let out his trademark cackle.

They settled into the den along with Kyungsoo’s parents and Baekhyun who had arrived with a Taco Bell party pack for them as well, and while they waited for the game to start, Baekhyun brought up the absence of the other person that was supposed to have joined them.

“Is Jongin not back yet?” Baekhyun asked, scrolling through his phone as he held his plate full of pajeon, rice cakes, tacos, and kimbap. “I still can’t believe he ran off to Austin like that.” He put his phone down and picked up the rice cake to eat first.

“No, he gets back tomorrow I think,” Jongdae said, again with his mouth full of mochi.

“Rosé thinks something’s going on between him and Summer,” Baekhyun informed them, and Kyungsoo had also heard this theory, from Sana of all people, when Kyungsoo had gone to visit Chanyeol and had found her there once again hanging out.

“I think it’s cute if there is,” Jongdae said. “She’s really nice, and Jongin deserves a good rebound.”

“Imagine having a pop star as your rebound,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle. “Only Jongin.”

“What even is his life?” Jongdae agreed, grabbing his soda to chase his rice cake down with it.

Kyungsoo was half-listening, half-watching the TV, looking for any signs of Chanyeol as the players were being shown warming up behind the announcers as they talked about what they were expecting to happen in the game. He wished he was there watching this in person, but as this particular matchup against Fordham was in Pittsburgh, it hadn’t been a reality. Once they made it to the national championship though, nothing was going to stop Kyungsoo from buying a plane ticket to San Antonio to be there in person for it.

Once the game started, Kyungsoo zoned out from anything happening in the den, watching Chanyeol moving across the court at fast speeds. Kyungsoo had talked on the phone with him last night, and he knew that Chanyeol’s energy was being fueled by his determination to make USC this year’s national champions. He had promised Minseok he’d do it since they’d lose him at the end of the year, and Chanyeol had been adamant about always keeping his promises.

“Already the refs are being dumb,” Jongdae said annoyed when the game stopped after the referee blew a whistle.

It was still early in the first quarter, but already Fordham was ahead by four and Kyungsoo felt his stomach flip. He wasn’t sure if he’d actually be able to watch the whole game since he was so nervous. But he also couldn’t not watch, loving the way Chanyeol ran, and passed the ball, and shot the ball, and basically everything he did.

By late in the first half, Chanyeol was already drenched in sweat from all the effort he was putting into the game.

“He’s gotta slow it down,” Baekhyun said, rummaging through the party box to take out another taco. “Yeol always starts moving too fast when he gets excited.”

“He’s got this,” Jongdae said, “He knows he’s gonna win it.”

“He knows,” Kyungsoo’s father said, “But does his team know? He can’t be the only one scoring if they have a chance. Fordham’s too good.”

Kyungsoo’s gut wrenched, knowing everything that was being said was true. By the time halftime came, Kyungsoo’s fingers were hurting and he looked down to see that it was because he hadn’t moved them from the pillow that he had been clutching for the entire first half.

“I hate that we haven’t been in the lead yet,” Jongdae said shaking his head, and then he picked up his phone and snorted, “And there goes Jisoo.”

Kyungsoo looked over at his phone to see it lighting up, and he scrolled through the messages to see that she had created a chat for them.

**_Yeol Better Win Chat_ **

_Jisoo: I’m about to fly to Pittsburgh. They have to get ahead now._

_Jongdae: They’ll regroup and come out strong after the half. You know Yeol’s probably pissed right now._

_Rosé: He looked pretty pissed walking off the court. It was hot._

_Baekhyun: Why did you add Roseanne to this chat? Does she even know what sport she’s watching?_

_Jisoo: She’s at my place watching it._

_Baekhyun: Holy shit, Rosé finally went to school!_

_Jongdae: ADKAJFIAFJAPFIAIFOAPIFJAIOEJPAIRJFM!_

_Kyungsoo: I felt that._

_Rosé: Assholes. Anyway, Chanyeol’s hot when he’s pissed and sweaty._

_Jongdae: I want to watch the game with you next time, Rosé. Your commentary would give me life._

_Rosé: I wish you were here DaeDae_ _😘_

Kyungsoo decided to take a bathroom break to calm his nerves a bit, and then he fixed himself another plate of snacks, even though he was too nervous to eat. He kept reading through the new comments in the chat, thinking that for the first time ever in his life, he and Rosé did agree on something. Chanyeol had looked really hot all sweaty as he walked off the court looking mad.

And he also looked hot when he jogged back onto the court, looking refreshed and determined as the team did their warmups right before the second half started.

“Okay, here we go,” Baekhyun said, discarding his plate completely as he leaned forward on the sofa to watch the action better.

“There we go,” Jongdae said when USC scored a three-pointer right away.

It did seem that whatever had happened in the locker room had invigorated them, and for the first time in the whole game, USC finally took the lead. But Kyungsoo knew better than to feel relieved. The couch pillow in his lap was receiving all the abuse as his fingers tightened around it again, and he held it against his stomach, hoping it would help quell all the flipping it was doing.

He had the odd thought that he would have to get used to this if he was finally with Chanyeol and he did end up in the NBA after college. And it made him smile a little, like he could envision himself at a Lakers game, wearing Chanyeol’s jersey and cheering him on, and Chanyeol making the final winning shot right at the buzzer, then shouting him out during the post-game interview.

Okay, he had to stop daydreaming and focus. They were halfway through the second half, and Fordham was getting more aggressive in their plays, taking over the lead again. It was so frustrating, and Kyungsoo lifted the pillow up to bury his face in it momentarily, not able to watch as the buzzer went off and a time out was taken with Fordham in the lead.

“I can’t believe how intense this game is,” Jongdae said, “I knew it was going to be a hard one but come on.”

“I’m seriously stressed right now,” Baekhyun told them.

“I can’t even watch,” Kyungsoo admitted. “I hate sports.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo’s father said, “If they win, then you’ll have to go through this two more times before they win the whole thing.”

“I hate sports,” Kyungsoo whined again.

“I’m ready for it,” Jongdae said, grabbing another soda as he nestled into the corner of the couch he was sharing with Baekhyun. “This is so exciting. I love sports.”

“There are two types of people,” Baekhyun teased them both.

When the game started again, Kyungsoo thought he was going to throw up. USC managed to tie the game, but they seemed to be struggling a bit to keep up with Fordham’s pace. At one point the USC coach called a time out because they seemed a bit disoriented.

“Come on! Keep it together, guys,” Jongdae said to the TV.

“Now’s not the time to buckle under pressure,” Baekhyun scolded as if they could hear him all the way in Pittsburgh.

“We’re running out of time,” Kyungsoo whined, now holding the pillow to his chest as tightly as he could. He felt like both crying and yelling at the same time.

The ball was passed to Chanyeol, who managed to get past the defense to maneuver a pretty awkward layup, but the ball went in, and as Chanyeol landed, Kyungsoo’s heart stopped.

“Oh shit,” Jongdae said, his hand going up to his mouth.

“That looked like it hurt,” Kyungsoo’s mother said.

Sure enough, a whistle was blown, and the game stopped as USC’s trainers ran onto the court to take a look at Chanyeol, who was still on the floor, laying down, his face scrunched together in pain.

“Oh God,” Kyungsoo said, his heart racing, “He’s okay, right?”

“He has to be,” Baekhyun, who was now at the edge of the couch as close to the TV as possible, said. “Get up, Yeol. Walk it off.”

“Is it the ankle that’s been giving him issues?” Jongdae asked, looking over to Kyungsoo for confirmation, and Kyungsoo nodded.

“Shit, he’s not getting up,” Baekhyun said.

Their phones all lit up at the same time, but Kyungsoo couldn’t even bother to check Jisoo’s worry, which is what he was sure was being texted. His eyes were trained ahead, toward the screen, and he was afraid to blink as if doing so would have any effect on the outcome.

_“Here’s the replay,” the announcer’s voice came from the TV. “You can see Park come down at a weird angle, and right there, oh.”_

_“That doesn’t look good,” the other announcer said. “He’s been having issues with that ankle all season. Let’s hope it’s not too serious.”_

_“We’re going to take a commercial break while the USC staff checks it out,” the first announcer said._

Kyungsoo felt disoriented to suddenly be watching a Doritos commercial when all he could still see in his mind was Chanyeol’s face in pain as he sat on the court.

“Shit, no, we need to see what’s happening,” Baekhyun said.

“Jisoo’s about to buy a plane ticket,” Jongdae said, tapping on his phone. “She’s freaking out.”

“I’m freaking out,” Baekhyun said, sounding very freaked out.

Jongdae looked over at Kyungsoo and didn’t bother saying anything, seeing that he was probably the most freaked out of all.

The time it took for them to come back from commercials felt like an eternity, and when they did, it was to an arena full of people standing and clapping as Chanyeol was being escorted off the court, hopping on one foot as he leaned onto Minseok and another one of their trainers helping him head toward the locker room.

_“And we’re back here in Pittsburgh where Chanyeol Park has just been taken to the locker room for examination. The crowd gave him a well-deserved standing ovation for the great game he played.”_

_“It definitely looks like he’s reinjured that ankle. I’m not sure we’re going to see him back on the court this game and that’s going to be a huge loss for this Trojans offense that’s been struggling to keep up with Fordham the whole night.”_

Kyungsoo didn’t even care about the game after that. All he cared about was if Chanyeol was okay. But he knew the answer to that. Even if his ankle wasn’t too bad, the fact that he had to leave the game for any length of time was going to eat away at him, and Kyungsoo knew that Chanyeol wasn’t going to handle that well.

With five minutes left in the game, the announcers gave the news that Chanyeol would be out the rest of the game, and five minutes later, the game was officially over, with USC losing, and Chanyeol nowhere in sight.

“Worst game ever,” Jongdae said, shaking his head. “I wish they would give us an update. Is he okay?”

“He’s not okay,” Baekhyun said, “If he was in any way okay, he would have been back on that court. You know how he is.”

Kyungsoo nodded, knowing that was the absolute truth. He grabbed his phone, ignoring all the texts that had come in, and wrote a text message to Chanyeol.

_Kyungsoo: Please tell me you’re okay. I’m so sorry that happened, but you were so great, and I hope you’re not beating yourself up. Of course you’re beating yourself up. You were great, Chanyeol! I wish I was there to give you a big hug right now. Please call me tonight._

He knew he sounded desperate, but he didn’t care. If there was one thing that he had figured out about Chanyeol by now, it’s that he wasn’t good at dealing with bad outcomes. Kyungsoo would never forget that fear he felt at seeing Chanyeol passed out in his apartment after they managed to get the landlord to open the door for them, saying they were concerned about his health and safety. Learning that something like a breakup sent him to such a dark place that he had to drink himself to the point of blacking out was something that stayed with Kyungsoo, and he thought about it now, hoping that Chanyeol didn’t spend the night getting drunk in his hotel room to deal with having to leave the game and the subsequent loss by the team.

“Jisoo got through to Sehun,” Baekhyun then said moments later, and Kyungsoo’s head snapped fast in his direction. “He said they’re going to the hospital now. Chanyeol’s been taken in for X-rays.”

“Shit, it must be really bad,” Jongdae said, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

“Why is this happening?” Kyungsoo said, looking worried at them as if they had any answers to these existential questions.

“It’s sports,” Jongdae said, doing his best to calm Kyungsoo down instead. “He’s been dealing with that ankle issue for this last part of the season, and I’m sure it’s not the first time he’s had an injury. It’s just how sports is.”

“I hate sports,” Kyungsoo said, pouting and looking at his phone to see if there was any text from Chanyeol, even though he knew there wouldn’t be one since he was on his way to the hospital.

“I’m sure he’ll be just fine,” Kyungsoo’s father said getting up from his armchair with a stretch. “He’ll just have to win that national championship next year.”

“I’m heading to bed as well,” Kyungsoo’s mother said, getting up as she picked up some things from the coffee table.

“I can get that,” Kyungsoo told her. “I need the distraction.”

She smiled at him and leaned over to squeeze his shoulder before telling them “good night.” They all wished his parents a good night as well, then worked together to clean up the mess in the den and take everything to the kitchen.

“Okay, Sehun said they’re at the hospital now,” Baekhyun updated while Kyungsoo loaded the dishwasher. “Jisoo said she’s waiting for him to tell her how Chanyeol’s doing.”

Kyungsoo wished he was at the hospital with them, checking up on Chanyeol himself and making sure he knew that he did a great job and that everything was fine.

“Are you going to be alright, Soo?” Jongdae then asked, wiping his hands on a towel after he had finished handwashing a pan. “I have to head out soon, but if you need me to stay, I can tell Wendy that I’ll be back home in the morning.”

“No, you should go,” Kyungsoo told him. “I’ll be fine. Plus Baek’s staying the night, so if I end up screaming about how I hate sports in the middle of the night due to a bad nightmare where I just replay it in my head over and over, I’m sure he’ll snap me out of it.”

“New plan,” Baekhyun said with a teasing smile, “I’ll go to your place and babysit Hannah tonight, and you can stay here and babysit him.”

Jongdae laughed then gave Kyungsoo a big hug telling him, “He’ll be alright.”

Kyungsoo nodded at him, and then Baekhyun stretched his arms out for a hug too but got a poke in the stomach instead from Jongdae as he walked by cackling.

Once the kitchen was tidy again and the dishwasher was running, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo headed upstairs, neither in the mood to sleep. Instead, they sat on Kyungsoo’s bed and watched ESPN just in case they gave any updates on Chanyeol’s condition in the news that perpetually scrolled at the bottom of the screen.

When they got another update from Jisoo, it was to confirm their worst fears.

_Jisoo: Results are back. He tore ligaments in his ankle. He’s going to have to wear a cast for six weeks and then start rehab after._

“Shit, no,” Kyungsoo said, knowing that couldn’t be good for any of Chanyeol’s plans.

_Kyungsoo: But he’ll be able to play again, right?_

_Jisoo: Based on how the physical therapy goes, they’ll determine if he can play._

_Baekhyun: God. This is the worst. Did Sehun say how he’s taking it?_

_Jisoo: Yeah, he’s not talking to anyone. At all. He’s just nodding or shaking his head when the doctor or nurses ask him things. According to Sehun, he looks really sad._

_Baekhyun: Had a feeling._

_Kyungsoo: Is Minseok with him? Did Sehun say? Minseok’s good at taking care of him._

Baekhyun glanced over at Kyungsoo when he read that comment and gave him a fond smile as he looked back at his phone.

_Jisoo: Not yet. He’s still with the rest of the team at the hotel. Their head trainer is at the hospital with him. I think Minseok’s going to head over with the coach in a bit._

_Jongdae: Just got home, and holy crap this sucks. Tell Sehun to give big hugs to his brother for us._

_Jisoo: Will do, although I doubt Yeol will let him at the moment. I think tomorrow he’ll be a bit more open to interacting with people._

_Baekhyun: Probably. Keep us updated if you hear anything and try and get some sleep tonight._

_Jisoo: Same to you guys. Night._

They all said “good night” to each other, and Kyungsoo let out a whiny noise and grabbed his pillow to hug it and bury his face into it.

“Same,” Baekhyun said, getting up from Kyungsoo’s bed and grabbing the remote to turn off the TV. “Let’s try and get some sleep now that we know he’s at least in good hands.”

“I’ll try,” Kyungsoo said, feeling a bit defeated as he burrowed under his covers with his phone.

Baekhyun turned off his light for him and closed the door, and Kyungsoo decided to send another message, even though he knew he wouldn’t get a reply back.

_Kyungsoo: I heard you’re going to have to wear a cast. I better get to be the first person to sign it._

_Kyungsoo: I wish I was there with you. Let me know when you’re back so I can visit you and make you food and help you with things. Or you could just move in with me and Baek to make it easier._ _😉_

_Kyungsoo: Seriously miss you. I know you’re bummed about this, but it just means you were meant to win the national championship your senior year. And I’ll be 21 by then, which means we can party for real after you win. See? This happened for a reason._

_Kyungsoo: Miss you. Big hug._

He waited a moment, just on the off chance that Chanyeol texted back, even though he was three hours ahead on the East Coast and probably sleeping from being pumped with pain medications.

_Jongin: Hey? You awake? I just saw the news about Chanyeol. Is he okay?_

Kyungsoo was surprised to hear from Jongin this late at night, and now that he thought about it, he hadn’t been one of the people texting about it right after it happened.

_Kyungsoo: No, he has to wear a cast for 6 weeks and then do physical therapy. It’s really bad._

_Jongin: Shit. That’s awful. I’m so sorry. Are you holding up okay?_

_Kyungsoo: My stomach is twisty. I don’t know how else to describe it. My heart hurts for him because I know what this meant to him, and I’m worried he’s not going to handle this well. Like how he didn’t handle the breakup well._

_Jongin: Yeah, someone’s definitely going to need to keep an eye on him. When does he get back in town?_

_Kyungsoo: I’m not sure yet. Hopefully tomorrow so I can drive up to see him. When do you get back in town?_

_Jongin: Tomorrow. I have a photoshoot I have to do, otherwise I’d stay here in Austin._

_Kyungsoo: Sounds like you’re having fun._

_Jongin: I’m certainly not having a bad time. I’ll tell you guys about it when I’m back in town._

_Kyungsoo: Sounds good. I’m going to try and sleep now._

_Jongin: Yeah, get some rest. I’ll give you a big hug tomorrow._

_Kyungsoo: I’m holding you to that. Night, Nini._

_Jongin: Night, SooSoo._

Kyungsoo did feel a little calmer after talking to Jongin, and he put his phone away so he could will himself to sleep somehow.

***

In the morning, he had hoped that there’d be a message from Chanyeol waiting for him, and he was disappointed when he just got messages instead with updates from Jisoo to the group about Chanyeol flying back home later that evening.

Which meant Kyungsoo would have to wait until Monday to see him. He tried to text him all day Sunday, but no responses came back, which was the same for everyone else who had tried to text him too.

“I’m giving him today,” Baekhyun said, finally giving up once it turned to night and they got confirmation from Sehun that they were back in town and Chanyeol was staying at his parents’ home in Malibu. “But I’m seeing him tomorrow whether he wants me to or not.”

“Same,” Kyungsoo said, letting Baekhyun know that he had to take him with him when he went to visit.

So after their last classes on Monday, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo drove to Malibu, and for the first time ever, Kyungsoo got to see where Chanyeol lived and had grown up.

The oceanside mansion was incredible, in every aspect that it could be, from the tropical entrance with tall palm trees framing the walkway, to the sleek modern design of the architecture. Kyungsoo felt like this was the type of home that was featured on the front page of an architectural magazine.

Baekhyun rang the doorbell, and the door was opened a moment later by Chanyeol’s mother, who seemed happy to see Baekhyun as she gave him a big hug before ushering them in.

“This is Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun introduced, “You met him once at one of Chanyeol’s basketball games.”

“Yes, I remember,” she said, giving Kyungsoo a hug as well. “How have you been?”

“Good,” Kyungsoo told her with a big smile.

“Chanyeol’s up in his room resting,” she told them. “Do you guys want anything to drink before you head up there?”

“No, thank you,” they both said, and Baekhyun added, “We’re good. How’s he doing today?”

“The same,” Chanyeol’s mother said, knowing what Baekhyun had meant. “Maybe seeing you guys will cheer him up.”

“We’re going to try,” Baekhyun assured her.

Kyungsoo followed Baekhyun through the open and spacious house, almost stopping to gawk at the unreal view of the ocean from the open living space. The idea that this was what Chanyeol saw every day growing up in this house was insane.

They got upstairs to Chanyeol’s room, and Baekhyun gave a small knock on the door before opening the ajar door all the way.

“Hey, superstar,” Baekhyun said with a big smile, and Kyungsoo hurried in right behind him, noticing Chanyeol look at them but not really react.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo told him, smiling as well as he took in the way that Chanyeol was just in his tee and boxers with his foot, which was in a splint, propped up on pillows. “Did you get my messages? When do you get your cast? Do I get to sign it first?”

Chanyeol’s eyes conveyed something that his mouth didn’t, but Kyungsoo couldn’t quite interpret it, and Chanyeol ended up shrugging instead, which made Kyungsoo lose his smile and bite his lip.

“And why are we not talking?” Baekhyun then asked him, sitting on the other side of Chanyeol’s bed gently so the motion didn’t cause his foot to move. “Yeol, you played your ass off. You should be proud and telling us all about how the refs had it in for you guys from the start.”

“It’s true,” Kyungsoo said, grabbing his desk chair and rolling it over so he could sit beside him. “The refs were stupid.”

“They weren’t stupid,” Chanyeol finally said, and Kyungsoo let out a soft breath of relief that he had finally said something. “We were struggling the whole game.”

“Fordham was favored to win that game by like a million,” Baekhyun told him, “The fact that you guys kept it so close throughout was amazing. You really should be proud of yourself.”

“If my ankle had been in better condition, we wouldn’t have been struggling,” Chanyeol said, and he sucked his bottom lip in. “This is my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” Baekhyun told him. “Don’t be like this. It’s sports. Injuries happen.”

“It’s my fault because I knew my ankle wasn’t doing well,” Chanyeol told him, “And I lied about it so I could play.”

“Still not your fault,” Baekhyun said, even though he had narrowed his eyes a little as if to consider if that was really true. “Basketball is a team sport. If one player isn’t at 100%, it’s up to the rest of the team to make up the difference. Damn it, where’s Jongdae? He actually knows what he’s talking about when he talks sports.”

“It’s true though,” Kyungsoo nodded. “It’s a team sport, and you’re just one part of the team. You did what you could do to help, even though your ankle wasn’t okay. Your team had to do what they could do too. It’s really not your fault.”

“It’s not anyone’s fault,” Baekhyun said with a circular hand motion. “It’s just how sports is. People play, sometimes people get injured, and someone has to lose. Your ego is big enough, Yeol, we couldn’t have you bragging about winning a national championship in your junior year. You have to brag about it instead in your senior year.”

“It gives me a reason to stay in school another year too,” Kyungsoo said. “I tried to get out of it, but my parents won’t let me. So now I have something to look forward to.”

“Even if I don’t stay,” Baekhyun chimed in, “I’m still going to every game. Even the away ones.”

“Yeah, next year we’re flying to all of them,” Kyungsoo nodded. “Even the ones in stupid Pittsburgh.”

“Yeah, Pittsburgh is so stupid for letting you get hurt there,” Baekhyun agreed.

And finally, they had done just enough to make Chanyeol crack a tiny smile.

“You guys are stupid,” he told them both, and Kyungsoo smiled so bright at this that he almost reached down to hug him.

“Not as stupid as Pittsburgh,” Baekhyun stated, “Anyway, what can we do to help you with the rehab and stuff? We’re going to get that ankle in perfect shape, Yeollie. It’s going to be so healed that you’ll never have to worry about it again.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo agreed, “You have to make sure to follow all the rules the doctors give you. And like I said in my text message that you never responded to, I can help cook for you and do stuff at your place for you.”

“He didn’t respond to anyone’s texts, Soo,” Baekhyun pointed out to him for the hundredth time.

“I don’t care,” Kyungsoo stated, “I’m allowed to take it personal that he didn’t respond to mine. I even used emojis in one.”

Baekhyun gasped as he put his hand to his chest, “Not emojis. Yeol, how could you not reply to him after he used emojis?”

Chanyeol let out a soft snort, then looked at Kyungsoo and said, “Don’t take it personal. I didn’t want to talk with anyone.”

Kyungsoo knew he hadn’t said that in a way that was meant to hurt him, but he couldn’t help that it did as his stomach felt a bit heavy in that moment. He supposed that he was just anyone, but after all their naps and confessions to each other, he didn’t like that he got lumped into the same group as everyone else.

“Which makes no sense,” Baekhyun said. “Talking to us would help your ankle heal faster.”

“I feel trapped,” Chanyeol then told them. “It’s such an effort to get up and walk to the bathroom. I want to be outside, practicing my layups or taking a swim, but I’m just stuck.”

“It’s only temporary,” Baekhyun reminded him. “Use this time to catch up on TV shows and movies. Read a book. Play a video game. In six weeks, you won’t even have a cast on anymore. By the time my birthday rolls around, you’re going to be running and dancing around like usual.”

Chanyeol nodded, seeming to be comforted in a way by that perspective. They did help him up at some point so he could use the restroom, and then they set up the Xbox in his room so they could play some video games with him, his mom coming in at some point to ask Chanyeol if she wanted him to order pizza for them.

Chanyeol shrugged and said, “Okay,” and Kyungsoo noticed that his mom seemed content with the answer, which probably meant it was more relaxed than what she had been dealing with for two days now.

“By the way,” Kyungsoo said to Chanyeol, once his player had been killed and he waited to respawn. “This is the first time I’ve ever been to your house. I’d ask you for a tour but…” He said it with a playful smile.

However, Chanyeol just narrowed his eyes as he played and responded with just a “Hm,” which confused Kyungsoo even more than the weird comment before had. Everything was so weird and Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what to make of any of it.

So Kyungsoo kept quiet after that, wondering if Chanyeol would initiate any conversation with him, or Baekhyun for that matter, but at least when Baekhyun asked him something or said something to him, he got more than just a “Hm.”

They ate their pizza and played a bit more, then left Chanyeol for the night telling him that they’d check up on him again once he was back in his apartment on campus unless he wanted them to come back earlier. He just shrugged and thanked them for coming, and they said “goodbye” to his mother as well before leaving.

Once in the car, Kyungsoo had to say something about it.

“That was weird, right?”

“Yes and no,” Baekhyun said as he drove along the ocean down the PCH. “Yeol gets in his head a lot, and not in healthy ways. He’s always been like that, and the more traumatic or devastating the cause, the worse it is.”

“Okay, that sounds like the ‘no’ part of it,” Kyungsoo acknowledged. “What’s the ‘yes’ part?”

Baekhyun didn’t answer right away, seeming to be a little lost in thought as he drove, but then after a moment he explained whatever thoughts were going through his head.

“I always remember the first time I realized that Chanyeol didn’t handle things well,” Baekhyun began. “I think we were about eight or nine. I was at his house, building a racetrack with him that was really cool. It took up like his entire room. He was so intense about it, which is just how he is about completing tasks. Even back then.”

Kyungsoo had no issues envisioning that and believing it.

“We got to this part where the track wouldn’t connect,” Baekhyun continued. “I looked at the instructions again while he tried to figure out what was wrong, and I told him that there was a piece missing that we needed to connect it. I gave him the instructions to look at it himself, and he started panicking about this missing piece. He didn’t remember seeing it. What if it hadn’t been in the box? What if he had counted the pieces wrong? What if he had organized them wrong and it made one get lost?”

Baekhyun slowed down as they got stuck in traffic, which was not surprising given the time of day.

“I told him that it had to be in his room somewhere, so I started looking through all the pieces for it and through the box, but Yeol was slowly losing it. He was pacing and grabbing his hair, asking himself how he could lose it, and how he didn’t know what he was going to do now. No matter how much I told him to chill, he just kept freaking out.”

Kyungsoo frowned at this, wondering why Chanyeol let himself get so worked up about things. He supposed if it had been happening since a young age, it wasn’t something he could control. But still.

“His mom must have sensed his distress or something,” Baekhyun said, inching along with the other cars that were barely moving. “Because she came into the room to ask if everything was alright, and I’ll never forget that he yelled at her. Like, my mom is the coolest mom in the world, but if I had ever yelled at her like that, I would not have lived to see my next birthday.”

“Same,” Kyungsoo agreed, knowing that his mom was extremely patient, but he didn’t think she was patient enough to put up with him yelling at her. “What was he yelling at her?”

“That the toy was broken, that they picked up a bad box, that they had to take it back,” Baekhyun rattled off. “The fact that she tried to calm him down made me realize even as a kid that she was used to this. So I think I figured out then that this was something he did. Anyway, I ended up finding the piece buried under one of the pieces of cardboard that had come in the packaging, and Chanyeol looked so relieved that he had to take a good five minutes to take deep breaths to finish crying and calm himself down.”

“Wow,” Kyungsoo said, nodding, “This explains the blackout drinking after Nayeon broke up with him.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said, “It explains a lot of things, but it doesn’t explain how calm he was. That’s what’s weird about what we just witnessed. He’s usually acting out in some way, not holding it in. I expected to walk in to see him already playing video games while crying his way through it, not just lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and doing nothing. It was really freaking weird, and I have no idea what to make of it.”

“Maybe this was the thing that finally broke him,” Kyungsoo thought out loud. “Maybe this was too much for him to handle, and he short-circuited.”

“Maybe,” Baekhyun said, and he chewed on his lip in thought as they moved up another inch. And then he added, “I’m worried about him. I mean, I’m always worried about him. And I’ve never had the right answers for how to handle him. I try really hard to be a good friend to him, and then I always end up failing. Like the whole Nayeon thing. I still haven’t forgiven myself for not telling him. I wanted him to learn from his mistakes, but how do you let someone learn from their mistakes when they won’t be able to handle the consequences of their mistakes in the first place?”

Kyungsoo nodded at Baekhyun and reached his hand out to squeeze Baekhyun’s shoulder, seeing how worried he was about this conundrum.

“It’s been over ten years,” Baekhyun said, looking over at him, “And I still don’t know how to Chanyeol.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo said, squeezing his shoulder again. “If it’s any consolation. It seems like the only person who really knows how to Chanyeol is his mom. Even Chanyeol doesn’t know how to Chanyeol.”

“This is entirely true,” Baekhyun agreed, and he sighed and focused on inching them along.

***

Kyungsoo spent the next day hoping to hear from Chanyeol. He tried to busy himself with doing a bit of studying ahead on things he would miss in class while filming the spy TV show and also studying his lines for the show itself. He also had the matter of a theater production he had auditioned for and gotten a small part in, but that was less of a distraction since it wasn’t a difficult amount of lines to memorize for a production that wouldn’t be put on for another month.

None of it really worked though, and in between doing these things, he kept checking his phone looking for anything from Chanyeol: a text, an Instagram comment, an actual call to talk. It was that part that upset Kyungsoo the most. When they were going through tough times, they had gotten into the habit of calling each other and being there to listen, and this was without a doubt, one of the toughest things that had happened to Chanyeol, but he hadn’t called him yet to complain or even cry about it. It was like Baekhyun had said, Chanyeol’s inaction was really worrying.

But then an effective distraction finally came in the form of a very excited message from Jongdae in their group chat that included Baekhyun.

_Jongdae: COME OVER RIGHT NOW! STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND GET OVER HERE!_

_Kyungsoo: What’s wrong? Is everything okay?_

_Jongdae: MORE THAN OKAY! JUST COME HERE NOW! HANNAH’S CRAWLING!_

_Kyungsoo: OMG BE RIGHT THERE!_

Kyungsoo rushed over to Baekhyun’s room to see him lying on his bed reading a book while listening to music through his earbuds.

“Jongdae just texted,” Kyungsoo interrupted him, and Baekhyun’s eyebrows raised. He took an earbud out and gave him a questioning look. “Jongdae just texted. We need to go over. Hannah’s crawling.”

“Oh shit!” Baekhyun said, darting up from his bed.

They hurried over, running across the street without bothering for the walk signal, and rang the button for the gate of their apartment building. They were buzzed in, and they ran to the door, knocking on it with big smiles on their faces.

“Just in time,” Wendy’s mom said opening the door with her own excitement. “I think she’s about to do it again.”

They ran in and knelt down, right next to Jongdae who was filming Hannah as she was on her knees and hands, looking unsure as her body moved unsteadily back and forth.

“You can do it, Hans,” Jongdae told her, “You just did it a minute ago.”

Wendy was on the other side with her hands outstretched and a huge smile trying to coax her as she said, “Come on, Hannah. Come over to mommy.”

Hannah found this amusing and gave a little coo as her face lit up at her mom’s expression.

“She’s too cute,” Kyungsoo said, also filming the moment with his phone.

“I can’t take it,” Baekhyun agreed, doing the same.

Hannah cooed again and moved her hand forward, then followed it through, crawling about an inch before plopping down on her stomach.

They all cheered, which scared her a little as she looked around confused, and they apologized and encouraged her to do it again.

It seemed she was a bit too tired to do it again right away, so as she took a break to play with a rattle that was on the floor, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo decided to update Jongdae on Chanyeol by telling him there was still no update outside of what they had told him yesterday when they had gotten back from visiting him.

“So weird,” Jongdae said, shaking his head as he put his phone down on the floor and shifted to a sitting position. “I tried texting him again this morning and nothing. Is he not replying to anyone or just us? Does he even reply to his own brother?”

“Good question,” Baekhyun said, already tapping on his phone. “Let’s find out.”

Kyungsoo looked at his phone to see he had been added to a group chat.

_Baekhyun: Hey, Sehun! Baek, Dae, and Soo here. Hope you’re doing well. We’re wondering how Yeol is doing since he hasn’t replied to any of us to let us know._

“Good thinking,” Jongdae told him, glancing over at Hannah to make sure he didn’t miss another attempt by her, and then looking back at his phone when she was still happily playing with the rattle.

It took a couple of minutes before Sehun finally replied.

_Sehun: Hi, guys! He’s doing okay. Just waiting to get his cast, but he’s resting his ankle in the meantime and not putting pressure on it._

“Sehun is so pure,” Jongdae said, “You’re going to have to find a sneakier way to get the info from him.”

“He really is,” Baekhyun said with a shake of his head of fondness, “Let me try something.”

_Baekhyun: That’s good to hear! I hope his ankle gets better really fast so he can get back to playing._

_Sehun: Me too. =^.^=_

“What is that?” Kyungsoo asked, unsure of what he was reading. “Is that supposed to be a cat?”

“I think it’s a cat,” Baekhyun said, typing.

“Adorable,” Jongdae said, “I want to pinch his cat cheeks.”

_Baekhyun: Has he been texting you updates or are you getting updates from your parents?_

_Sehun: Both. I don’t believe him when he says he’s fine and that I don’t have to come home to check up on him, so I ask my parents and they tell me the truth. He really is doing okay though. Don’t worry too much._ _(=^_ _◡ ^=)_

“These cat emojis are killing me,” Jongdae said, laughing. “I’m going to start texting Sehun more often. Who knew I was missing out on this kind of entertainment?”

“I don’t know if I find it endearing or creepy,” Kyungsoo admitted.

_Baekhyun: I trust you, Sehun! If you say don’t worry, we won’t. Now stop slacking and go study._

_Sehun: =^_ _∇^*=_

“I’m taking a screenshot of this chat,” Jongdae said, “For when I’m having a bad day and need something to make me smile.”

Kyungsoo wished he could feel the same way, but instead he was feeling conflicted. It made sense that Chanyeol wouldn’t ignore texts from his brother, so it was okay that he acknowledged them and texted back. He needed to stay rational about this, but he felt his stomach drop a little again as he got a notification that he had been added to a new group chat. This one included Jisoo and Sana.

_Baekhyun: Hey, guys! Have any of you heard from Chanyeol today? Or since last night? Want to make sure he’s doing alright today before I bother him._

“Don’t answer,” Baekhyun told them, “I set this up to see something.”

Kyungsoo nodded and waited for the reply.

_Sana: Hi, Baek! I talked to him last night and this morning. He said he’s bored, so I’m heading over in a bit to keep him company._

_Baekhyun: Nice. Let him know I’ll call him later. Have fun!_

_Sana: Will do!_

Kyungsoo stared at this chat, feeling a weird sensation in his stomach that was a mixture of dread and disappointment.

A new chat popped up on his phone.

_Jisoo: I FUCKING KNEW IT! WHY IS HE ICING US?_

_Baekhyun: What the actual fuck? Did you know he’d been communicating with her?_

_Jisoo: I had a feeling because we have a girls chat that Jennie included her in and she had made some passing remark about having to drop off because she was supposed to call Chanyeol. I thought she was just going to try and call him, but she never came back to the chat, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since then._

_Baekhyun: What the fuck? Did we do something?_

_Jisoo: Other than support him and worry about him? I’m about to call him and leave him a scathing message._

_Jongdae: He probably won’t even bother listening to it at this point. Is it just Sana he’s communicating with?_

_Kyungsoo: What about Kris?_

He wanted to know. He needed to know.

_Jisoo: No idea. I’m so mad right now._

_Baekhyun: I’m mad and worried. Nothing about this is sitting right with me._

_Jisoo: It doesn’t make any sense. Do you want to go confront him together or should I just drive over there and let him have it?_

_Baekhyun: Let’s leave him alone today. Sana’s headed over anyway. Let him have his restful night with her, and we’ll come up with a game plan tomorrow._

_Jisoo: Fine. Only because I probably really need to calm down before dealing with him. We’ll talk tomorrow._

_Jongdae: Sounds like a plan (=^_ _◡ ^=)_

“I’m going to take your phone away,” Baekhyun said to Jongdae in a lighthearted threat.

“Things got heavy,” Jongdae explained snickering, “I felt like lightening it up.”

Nothing was going to lighten up Kyungsoo’s mood at that point, and he put his phone down on the floor in front of him and just stared at it like it had played the biggest prank on him. What was going on with Chanyeol? Why was he doing this?

_Jongin: WHAT?! I JUST SAW THIS! I JUST TOOK A BREAK FROM REHEARSAL! SHIT, IS SHE STILL CRAWLING!? CAN SOMEONE LIVESTREAM?_

“Thanks for joining us,” Baekhyun mused at Jongin’s reply, which made Jongdae laugh and say he’d send him the video.

Kyungsoo tried to focus on Hannah again after that. She seemed to be done with her rattle and wanting to move to another location. When she crawled a bit more, Kyungsoo’s mood changed for the better, and he tried to shift and get at floor-level to get a good angle of the crawl.

After a while, when Hannah finally started getting cranky and wanting food instead of crawling time, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo knew it was time to head back home. They took turns hugging her and telling her she was the best crawler ever, and then they said goodbye to the Kim family and headed back to their own apartments, both quiet and lost in thought.

They went through the parking lot gate of their student apartment complex and reached their side of the courtyard when they were intercepted by Momo.

“Hey,” she said to them both, “I was just headed to your place to find you.”

“Hey,” Baekhyun greeted her with a smile, “We just got back from Dae’s. Hannah’s crawling.”

“Ooooh,” Momo cooed with big eyes. “How cute. Oh my gosh.”

“We have video,” Kyungsoo offered, showing her one of the ones that he took.

“I love her,” Momo cooed again.

“Come up and we can show you all the other ones we took,” Baekhyun invited her.

“Actually,” she said, losing a bit of her smile, “I was just coming to tell you something.”

“What’s up?” Baekhyun asked, losing his smile as well.

“Sana just texted me,” Momo told them, and Kyungsoo’s stomach took yet another dip. “I thought you guys should know that Chanyeol officially asked her to be his girlfriend. She’s over the moon about it and letting everyone know. So yeah, they’re officially together now. I’m sure Chanyeol would’ve told you eventually, but, I figured I’d let you know now.”

Kyungsoo didn’t even bother to react. He started walking straight to the entrance of their building, certain that if he didn’t, his reaction would scare both Baekhyun and Momo.

“Shit,” he did hear Baekhyun say. “Thank you more than you can possibly know for letting me know. I’ll call you in a bit so we can discuss, okay?”

Kyungsoo heard Momo say “Okay” as he hurried up the stairs to the second floor, powering his way through the sunken feeling in his stomach and chest and making it to the door and struggling with opening it because his hand was shaking.

Once inside, he headed straight to his room and threw himself onto his bed, knowing that no matter what, the tears were going to come so there was no point in him fighting them.

He should have predicted this. Why had he allowed himself to believe that Chanyeol would be different from Yixing? They were literally the same person, and until Chanyeol was thrust into some awful situation that outed him, he was never going to actually pick Kyungsoo. That much was clear now, and Kyungsoo felt so stupid for falling for this scenario all over again.

“Hey,” Baekhyun said, having joined him on his bed and giving him a small cuddle as he lay beside him. “It’s okay. Cry all you need to.”

“This is so stupid,” Kyungsoo said, wiping the tears on his cheeks. “Why did I fall for this again? Why did I think he’d be different?”

“You did nothing wrong,” Baekhyun told him, holding him. “This is all on him.”

“But I knew it,” Kyungsoo admitted, not wanting to, but having to for his own sanity. “I knew he wouldn’t come around. The fact that he wanted to wait until after basketball season. I should have known then. If he really wanted to be with me, basketball season wouldn’t have stood in the way.”

“He’s an asshole for this,” Baekhyun said, “He doesn’t deserve you anyway, Soo. You’re awesome, and there’s a perfect guy out there that’s going to sweep you off your feet and love you the way you deserve.”

It made him cry more, only because Chanyeol had felt like his perfect guy, and he couldn’t imagine anyone making him feel the way he did. Their naps always felt special, their late-night talks were perfect little moments of bliss, their silent smiles they gave each other were everything. He hated crying about this, but his heart was breaking into so many little pieces that he didn’t know how else to react to it.

Baekhyun let him cry, not saying anything else, and holding him while also texting, probably letting Jongdae, Jongin, and Jisoo know the news.

He found that he wanted everyone to know. He wanted people to see Chanyeol for who he was, or at least those that knew that Chanyeol had liked Kyungsoo or had suspected it throughout the year.

It didn’t take long for Jongdae to make it over, joining them as he sat on the edge of the bed and ran a comforting hand over Kyungsoo’s shin.

“Whatever this is,” Jongdae said to Baekhyun, once the two of them had started talking after Kyungsoo had closed his eyes to try and rest them from the crying. “It’s not going to end well. Like, whatever Chanyeol’s trying to do here.”

“I know,” Baekhyun told him. “But if he doesn’t want me in his life, then I’m the last person who can help him right now. He doesn’t want me or Jisoo, and he doesn’t want you guys. If he’s creating himself a new inner circle, then all we can do is hope that those people help him since we can’t.”

Jongdae sighed, then recapped, “So no more Jennie, and no more Chanyeol. My birthday invite list will be down to five people by the end of this.”

Baekhyun snorted and said, “Yeah, yours is in September, you’re screwed. We’ll have lost most of our friends by then. I’ll probably still get half at mine in a couple of months.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t join them in their joke, but he did mentally think that come January again, it’d be only the two of them and Jongin he’d be inviting.

Jongin came by to visit later when he could, and Kyungsoo told him he was fine, even though his face gave away that he wasn’t. Jongdae had left to go back home after showing Jongin all the videos of Hannah crawling, and then Baekhyun got up to make them dinner, giving Jongin the space to take over and hug Kyungsoo in his place.

“I’m okay,” Kyungsoo made sure to tell him again. “I should have seen this coming. He wasn’t ready, and he probably never was going to be.”

“He’s an idiot,” Jongin told him. “I know you’re taking this personally, but you have to know it’s not you, right?”

“It’s definitely me,” Kyungsoo said, feeling the emotion in his chest at what he knew deep down inside would always be a problem for him. It was him, and there was nothing he’d ever be able to do to change that. “I’m not someone that anyone wants to fight for. Yixing wasn’t willing to give up anything to be with me, Taeyong didn’t try and work things out with me and just dumped me, and now this. Chanyeol wasn’t going to give up his basketball dreams for me, even though he didn’t really need to give them up, but he wasn’t willing to take the chance anyway. And I understand. I do. I’m not worth giving things up for. I’m not meant to be anyone’s love.”

“Stop that,” Jongin chided him, though with a tender voice. “You know that’s not true. You just haven’t met the right person yet. And neither have I. Need I remind you that I too have been dumped now twice? It’s not that people aren’t willing to give things up for us, we just haven’t found our right people yet. The ones that would. We have to keep looking, and we will find them. I know they’re out there for both of us.”

“How can you be so sure?” Kyungsoo said, looking up at him, possibly with a look of hope.

“Because there are over a billion people on this planet,” Jongin said with a soft smile, “And we’ve only met a super tiny fraction of them. And also, because Dae and Wendy exist. They were both willing to give up a lot to be with each other, and I truly believe that though they may resent each other down the line for it from time to time, they’re ultimately going to realize that they did it because they knew they were meant for each other. Our other halves exist, Soo. And I have a feeling yours is going to be better looking and a lot less problematic than Yixing and Chanyeol. I mean, you’re about to star in a spy TV show with a bunch of sexy co-stars. You don’t know who you might meet.”

Kyungsoo gave Jongin a little smile and burrowed into him saying “thank you.” It didn’t make him feel better about being… well whatever Chanyeol had done to him through this action. Not quite dumped, but maybe betrayed unintentionally. But it did make him feel a little hopeful. There was someone, and maybe he needed to stop relying on his attraction to people and instead start being more pragmatic about this. Taeyong had been a great boyfriend, and had he not been stuck on the ideal of Chanyeol, he wouldn’t have lost him and could have made it work.

But it didn’t stop him from crying about it again after they had eaten dinner and Jongin had left to go home. He lay in his bed and pulled up Chanyeol’s Instagram, wondering if he had posted anything about him and Sana on it. He hadn’t, but when Kyungsoo went to Sana’s page, he did see a selfie of them outside on Chanyeol’s patio that looked over the ocean with the simple caption of “Day 1.”

Kyungsoo unfollowed her, then unfollowed Chanyeol, and then he cried himself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Part 3 won't be posted for a while and I'm just now going to get started on writing Part 4. I hope it doesn't take me all year to do. Fingers crossed! Please be patient with me.
> 
> If you want any updates on the progress or want to ask me any questions about the story, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @baeksesoolove where I still don't know what I'm doing and just re-tweet pics that inspire scenes in stories that I'll probably never getting around to writing. 🙈


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